Like many music fans, I found the 2006 arrival of Portland, Oregon-based quintet The Decemberists' "The Crane Wife" to be a breath of fresh air. With alternative rock and every form of pop worth listening to in a bit of a creative doldrums, this band's intricate instrumentals, mixing old school British folk a la Fairport Convention with older still influences from madrigals, Celtic origins and classical compositions and the progressive leaning blues/metal amalgams.
Remember the way the Yardbirds morphed from hard rockers to strange folky storytelling, which may have reached a creative climax on a record like "Led Zep III," with its strong acoustic, Celtic folk leanings. The Decemberists echo all of that, along with Richard Thompson's fascination with the evolution of western pop music styles, from the baroque period, through tavern tales on to the likes of the RollingStones and Britney Spears. Okay, I don't hear any Spears at work in The Decemberists, but you get my point.
(Am I the only one who really misses old school prog-rock? And I'm not just thinking Yes, and early Kansas and Genesis, less so ELP, but does anybody else remember Gentle Giant, and PFM [Premiata Forneria Marconi]? What about Renaissance? When I listen to The Decemberists new one, "The Hazards of Love," I can't help but start to miss all that... and think of Fairport Convention and Renaissance and the like. But then it's a function of middle age, to spend a bit of time looking back, as taking in what's new, and imagining what's to come. But, Mars Volta may be the best modern take, and while it's fun enough, it's just not quite cutting it for me. And don't get me started on Incubus and Linkin Park. So, go figure.)
But for my money, "The Crane Wife" was just a warm up for the deeper, more impressive "Hazards of Love." Still as diverse, echoing early folk song forms, with instrumentation that recalls when the harpsichord was all the rage (and I don't just mean the era of Rick Wakeman), and banjo or accordion, lush orchestrations, and raw, cutting guitars, "The Hazards" feels like a fuller, more complex whole.
Borrowing its title from a 1966 EP of the same name by Anne Brigg's, writer Colin Meloy follows classical composers and classic rockers in producing variations on a series of musical themes and lyrical concepts, ultimately fleshing out a narrative in rich detail. It's a story, as the title suggests, ripe with danger and loss, where one is invited to "Wager All," knowing that the "Wanting Comes in Waves." And you can't walk through the underbrush of life and love without prickly thistles attaching themselves to you... oh, the hazards of love are many.
And that's the fun of it all. As the band moves from conventional folk pop to more aggressive electric guitar riffing and back, the songs unfold, repeat, offer a variation and then evolve and respond. It's a lush audio banquet for the ears, and a pleasure to sit back and allow its narrative and diverse musicality to have its way with you.
Now, remember back when guitarist Chris Funk had a contrived shread head to head with Stephen Colbert, who ultimately relied on Peter Frampton to come to his aid. At first blush, multi-instrumentalist Funk is no Satriani or Vai styled guitar hero. Still, here on "Hazards," we get a better taste of his somewhat classic rock leaning tableau of sounds and textures. In the end, we don't need shread heads, we need guitar players that paint pictures, and Funk alongside Meloy and company is an artist. Worth a few thousand words a track, actually.
And, while it's an impressive whole, there are some truly inspired parts, especially as "HoL Parts 3 and 4" sandwiches the reprise of "The Wanting Comes in Waves," with the way a children's chorus echoes the vocals of "HoL part 1" and moves toward climax. And, the way "Part 4" leans toward contemporary country music, seemingly out of left field but somehow bringing it all around full circle.
The continuity of any lengthy (17 songs) cycle depends not only on the strength of its individual pieces, but the broad scope when the considering the sum of the parts, there total impact when considered together. Which gladly marks "The Hazards of Love" as a complete and fully realized success, creatively conceived and masterfully rendered. -Brian Quincy Newcomb
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