New Music Tuesday: The Decemberists

Apologies for the sparseness here lately-- I've been trying to buy a car which is a headache and a half. Let's focus on something that won't give you a headache. (Nice segue, huh?)

The Decemberists - The Hazards of Love [Capitol, 2009]


So, I was aiming to get this out a week or two ago, since the album just launched on March 24 and I wanted to weigh in as this promised to be one of the most interesting and polarized releases of 2009 so far. There are fans old and new that either love it or hate it. Pitchfork bashed it on national television. Blogs have run the full gamut from "masterpiece" to "a nice idea that fell flat."

And well, I expected nothing less. When hearing about the album a few months ago, frontman Colin Meloy revealed that it was going to be a rock opera full of prog metal (essential for any rock opera) while incorporating The Decemberists' folk/sea shanty signature sound. I was intrigued, but skeptical. In 2006, The Crane Wife was released to much ballyhoo, but I was overall displeased with it, since it sort of walked a line between proggy, epic narratives and simple, catchy folk sing-a-longs. What I wanted was an album full of one or the other (since I had enjoyed their past efforts very much, and was intrigued what an epic album would bring).

Needless to say, The Hazards of Love is all kinds of epic. The opening track (discounting the Prelude) "The Hazards of Love 1" instantly brings to mind the folk-jazz guitar and bass interplay of the best 60's folk in the style of Pentangle or Fairport Convention. I had long doubted The Decemberists actual roots in folk, but as of this album, I am a believer. Of course, as soon as the track concludes, distorted guitars crunch in true 80's metal fashion. This may seem disorienting, but somehow Meloy et al. managed to pull off the 180-degree switch effortlessly.

This is the setup of the musical interplay throughout the album. With a surprisingly concise plot (once you have the aid of the lyrics sheet), the music shifts in the standard operatic/musical mode of recurring themes and reprises to accentuate moods, characters, and events. Meloy goes so far as to recruit two female vocalists to further flesh out the sound of the "opera." Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond) lends her sweet voice as Margaret, the lover of Meloy's character William. The show-stealer on the album however, is most certainly Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond) in the role of the Queen, whose perfect 80's metal wails send chills down the spine. Where the album truly succeeds is in its pairing of music with emotion as the plot develops (the details of which I'll spare in the interest of seeming sane). The closing track where the lovers drown together (oops, spoiler) is truly a beautiful and moving piece of music, and Meloy and The Decemberists' ability to draw out so much emotion through a stunning amalgam of music styles is really what makes this album a success.

If you're looking to hear something totally different and feeling a little adventurous stylistically, this is definitely the album of 2009 to pick thusfar. While I think this album NEEDS to be heard as a whole, in the interests of not being shut down, I'll just share my top picks. Contact me if you want the whole shebang:

The Hazards of Love 1 (jazz-folk goodness)
The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid (highlights Shara and some of the prog-metal)
Annan Water (mostly Meloy and mandolin)

Catch The Decemberists live in Boston June 9 at the BOA Pavilion (with Robyn Hitchcock-- this show will be awesome), or next weekend April 24th at Amherst College (I'll be there!)

New Music Tuesday: The Love Language

Heed my words, these guys are going to explode very soon.

Comin' at ya from Raleigh, NC, I recently saw this awesome band open for The Rosebuds (also an awesome band) back in January at the Middle East. I had just seen some band whose name I can't remember chug through a few closing tracks that sounded like terrible Jimmy Eat World songs and had very low expectations. Needless to say, they rocked, and I've been listening to their album that they had for sale ever since.

Imagine my surprise to see that the album's actual street release date is today of all days! So, I am here to laud them, as hopefully other, more influential blogs will be doing in the coming days.

The album:
This is The Love Language's unabashed debut, largely the work of frontman Stu McLamb, and apparently recorded nearly in entirety by him alone in a storage area with a 4-track recorder. The result is a concise, but brilliant, 9-track lo-fi masterpiece, with a fuzzed out sounded akin to the Walkmen, Neutral Milk Hotel (well, without a million other instruments), and Funeral-era Arcade Fire (I'm a Neon Bible hater, apologies). McLamb guides you around emotional highs and lows, from hushed, strained piano all the way to freewheeling romps like a Devendra Banhart dance party, and even manages to throw in a little country-- recalling Okkervil River or The Avett Brothers (particularly in his vocals).

Anyway, I could go on longer but it would do you better to just give a listen, so I present my track picks:
Nocturne
Sparxxx
Hear more at their MySpace

Live:
Ivan of the Rosebuds heard McLamb's album, and invited him to assemble a full band and head out on tour with them. Thus, the 7-piece touring ensemble of The Love Language was born. As good as the album is, the music is even better live. The songs yearn to be fleshed out and they do it, amazingly. Check out this live video of "Lalita" featuring the lovely and charming Missy Thangs on tambourine:



Attn Northeast:
They will be at TT the Bear's in Cambridge on April 23 and The Bellhouse in Brooklyn on the 24th. Do yourself a favor and GO!!