The Decemberists-The Hazards of Love (2009)

 

Artist: The Decemberists

Title:  The Hazards Of Love

Label:  Capitol

Format: CD

Cat #: 50999 2 14710 2 5

Year of Release: 2009

Country and Year of Edition Issue: US 2009

Listed Condition: VG+/VG+

Sell Date: 6/27/25

Sell Price: $3.99

Discogs Last Sold: 6/7/25 VG+/NM $3.95

Low: $1.00

Median: $3.74

Average: $3.71

High: $7.47

Current low price: $2.00

Current Number on Sale at Discogs: 25

Have/Want: 1100/67

Where Sold: Baltimore, MD

Time it took to sell: 2 years

Where and When Bought: Facebook CD $2 lot

Gwiz-gau Letter Grade: B

Sad To See It Go: No

Portland, OR's The Decemberists 5th album The Hazards of Love was a song cycle rock opera of sorts.  At some point the title track reared up yet again and I wondered if I accidentally hit the repeat button.  No, it was the same song.

With the Decemberists you know you are going to get Colin Malloy's folky lilt, that goes without saying.  Some might say he is affected faux-British others say he is mining a tradition continued by Robyn Hitchcock.  The band may be mining their inner Jethro Tull Passion Play.

This is a dense double record on one nearly hour-long CD.  I've listened to it 5 times this weekend and have some sort of a feel for the songs.  Prog rock guitar refrains and literary projection are the name of the game.  When the children's chorus kicks into yet another version of "The Hazards of Love" you start to say to yourself enough is enough with this song already.

Likable on one level, background music on another.