Hazardous

After several failed attempts at making it the whole way through the past two days, I finally listened to Hazards of Love in its entirety today. You know how you feel when you read a really good book for the first time? There's a sense of accomplishment and finality coupled with the slight feeling of sadness that you'll never be able to experience that story for the first time ever again. That's how I felt after listening to Hazards of Love. Hazards will probably be remembered as the least accessible album in the Decemberists catalog (at least until they start doing noise rock covers of Motley Crue songs), but it is without a doubt their greatest sonical achievement to date. I'll admit, I have a tendency to fall in love with every new Decemberists album after I hear it once, then, after a month or two realize that Picaresque is still their best album, but there is something special about Hazards of Love.

The narrative of the record (that's right, this album has a narrative thread) is probably the most melodramtic tale ever featured in a Decemberists album. It's fairly complicated and, frankly, I'm not entirely sure what happens, but I do know this, everybody dies (well, maybe not the Queen, but I could've missed something).

The music is incredibly moving. Since it is a rock opera, there are really only about 10 distinct musical themes that are repeated and reprised over the course of the 17 tracks on the album, but the way they work together is extraordinary. There are no stand out singles on this album. Really there are no songs that would work outside the context of the album (The Rake song is probably the most likely candidate, but it's a tough sell). This is an album that demands to be heard in its entirety. This is an album that demands your attention.