Albums Of The Year 2009: The Hazards Of Love by The Decemberists
A lot of people aren’t fans of folk. A lot of people aren’t fans of prog rock. So it’s a brave band which, harking back to Jethro Tull, release an album which bridges the gap between the two.
But (unlike Jethro Tull) it’s great. Beautiful in fact. The Decemberists had been hinting at long-form folky storytelling for a long while. The Crane Wife sees the same ideas of recurring themes and melodies, but is not so full a concept album (or, as Wikipedia calls it, aiming to put off even more people, ‘a rock opera’).
The album does have a story that runs throughout, and you can read about it on Wikipedia, although I have to admit I haven’t really paid much attention to what it is. It’s the music on this album that I find really captivating. It’s a haunting, beautiful album and one that improves the more you listen to it.
