The Decemberists

“The Hazards of Love”

Capitol

Rating: *** (of 4)

“The Rake’s Song” may be the most picaresque song in a career full of them. Over a snarling acoustic guitar, Colin Meloy tells the tale of hopeful love, crushed by tragedy and ending in infanticide: “What can one do when one is a wid’wer, saddled with three little pests?” he sings. “All that I wanted was the freedom of a new life, so my burden I began to divest.” It’s also incredibly catchy. On “The Hazards of Love,” The Decemberists take a stab at “rock opera” and the result is their best album to date, one that emphasizes their timeless sound, while abandoning the Victorian preciousness that made their earlier work grating. On “The Hazards of Love 1,” the band establishes tones and melodies that will recur throughout the album. Electric guitar on “A Bower Scene” grows louder until it obliterates the rest of the track and “Isn’t it a Lovely Night?” sounds almost like country. Songs flow together and instrumental interludes provide foreshadowing and emotional signposts. Centerpiece, “The Wanting Comes in Waves,” begins dark and foreboding, before moving into an electric guitar solo and descending into a stomping blues jam. Clearly, The Decemberists are a band that find their greatest inspiration on the dark side.

— Reviewed by staff writer Justin Schneider, The Herald Bulletin