I love when music sidles up to you, like the slow moving, menacing Mummy in the old Boris Karloff black and whites, or the Creeper from Scooby Doo. It's just sitting there, in that stack of recommendations, and there's so much to do around the house, so hey, two birds. It was in this manner that I absorbed The Hazards of Love by the Decemberists. While not familiar with the band or the album, I was able to put together from numerous background listens that it was aiming for some kind of past-century operatic narrative. In this initial background phase, I was surprised at how many times it surprised me- there was a pace to it; the songs flowed into one another and back again; the abrupt changes were abrupt in the right way at the right time; was that a reprise? The melodies were interesting, the harmonies beautiful, and over repeated listens, those hooks became anchors. And then I got to the lyrics.
By this time I was singing notes and phrases and humming along with the rich melodies and harmonies, until one day during the Rake Song I had to pause. I'm locked in the repeating refrain "Alright, Alright, Alright" when a few of the murky lyrical pieces fall together in my mind and I grasp the dark, dark content. This was the lead single for the album, and apparently generated its share of complaints to radio stations (who subsequently went to bat for the song in its context in the album). As I listened more intently to the lyrics, I recognized the scope and acuity of the narrative, expertly woven and fused with the mood of the album.
The story revolves around William and Margaret, chronicling a journey between meeting and reunification and the complications in between. Rolling Stone described it as "a tale of a maiden knocked up by a shape–shifting beast who may be her future husband. There's also a psychotic queen and three revenge–seeking ghost kids." I began reading through the lyrics, equally impressed with how the story connected and that I was singing along with these words without knowing the words.
It seemed fitting to see the Decemberists at the Brown Theater, the mood of the music enhanced by the ornamental flourishes of a bygone era. Pre show music included selections from Anne Briggs, Nic Jones, Maddy Prior and June Tabor, all 60's and 70's British Folk singers who had a hand in the inspiration of the Hazards of Love, an appropriate prelude. As the band began, they were both strong and playful, light and intense. An enthusiastic, near sell-out crowd on a Monday night, there were some moments that just brought the house down. Main singer/songwriter Colin Meloy has a crisp and clear voice that has both power and earnestness that gives the delivery a real edge. Maybe it's that northwestern accent, like a newscaster working on his non-regional diction, that adds to the mythical quality of the narrative. The two female vocalists on the album, each from separate bands, were able to tour in support of the album, each giving commanding performances of range and energy. They played the entire album, all seventeen songs, front to back, and it was amazing to see it live. After a brief intermission, the band returned for another full set for another ten songs from their catalogue, including the finale of the impromptu action story, a reenactment of "The Tragedy of Seabiscuit", with half of the band moving into the audience with tambourines, drums & cymbals to act out the spontaneous lyrics, culminating with a meteor crashing into Kentucky and wiping out the continental US. It seemed the perfect surreal ending to an evening of antediluvian fantasy.
If nothing else, the sheer ambition of The Hazards of Love is impressive, and the Decemberists have taken hits from those who believe that the effort falls way short. I was actually quite surprised as I made my way through album reviews at the number, and intensity, of negative reviews: Spin calls it "proggish pomposity" for "smarty-pants fans", Blender blasted its "sesquipedalian hijinks". Now, I understand that what could be described as a theatrical folk-rock opera with ornately antiquarian diction might not be your thing, but there's some animosity here, critics taking personal offense at the Decemberists making music they don't enjoy. Entertainment Weekly writes, "Frontman Colin Meloy has many unique gifts as a songwriter — gifts that have all but deserted him on this regrettable attempt at a prog opera. Hazards of Love drowns in convoluted plots, blustery guest vocalists, and comically out-of-place guitar shredding". Another fine example of passing off subjective opinion as objective critique. There's so much music in the world, find what you enjoy and enjoy it. I can only speak to what impressed me- before the next matryoshka doll opened to reveal the ambitious plot- that I was singing along with these rich melodies before I ever reached the underlying text. And for me there can't be a clearer testament to the strength of the music.
Setlist:
Prelude
The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle The Thistles Undone)
A Bower Scene
Won't Want For Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
The Queen's Approach
Isn't It A Lovely Night
The Wanting Comes In Waves / Repaid
An Interlude
The Rake's Song
The Abduction of Margaret
The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
Annan Water
Margaret In Captivity
The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
The Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise)
The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)
Intermission
Oceanside
July, July!
The Sporting Live
Yankee Bayonette
The Calamity Song
Crane Wife 3
Dracula's Daughter
O Valencia
Crazy On You
Red Right Ankle
A Cautionary Song (w/The Tragedy of Seabiscuit)
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