| The Hazards of Love | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Studio album by The Decemberists | ||||
| Released | March 24, 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 2008 | |||
| Genre | Progressive rock Indie rock Folk rock |
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| Length | 58:36 | |||
| Label | Capitol/Rough Trade | |||
| Producer | Tucker Martine | |||
| The Decemberists chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
|---|---|
| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| Allmusic | [1] |
| Blender | [2] |
| Robert Christgau | (C)[3] |
| Consequence of Sound | [4] |
| Drowned in Sound | [5] |
| Gigwise.com | [6] |
| The Observer | [7] |
| Paste | [8] |
| Pitchfork Media | (5.7/10)[9] |
| PopMatters | [10] |
| Rolling Stone | [11] |
| The Skinny | [12] |
| Spin | [13] |
| Sputnikmusic | [14] |
| Tiny Mix Tapes | [15] |
| Under the Radar | [16] |
The Hazards of Love, released March 24, 2009, is the fifth album by The Decemberists.[17] The album was inspired by an Anne Briggs EP titled The Hazards of Love. According to the band, frontman Colin Meloy set out to write a song with the album's title—eventually leading to an entire album. Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond), Shara Worden (of My Brightest Diamond), and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) provide guest vocals throughout the album,[18] while Robyn Hitchcock makes a cameo guitar appearance in "An Interlude".
The Hazards of Love is a rock opera, with all songs contributing to a unified narrative, similar to the use of recurring stories in The Crane Wife. The plot is a love story: a woman named Margaret (voiced by Stark) falls in love with a shape-shifting boreal forest dweller named William (voiced by Meloy). William's mother, a jealous fairy queen (voiced by Worden) and the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) bring conflict to the album's story arc.[18]
On January 15, 2009, "The Rake's Song" became available as a free download on their MySpace page. This was followed on February 16, 2009 by "The Hazards of Love 1," again on MySpace.
On March 13, 2009, The Decemberists announced that the album would be released on iTunes on March 17, 2009. The album was released on iTunes Australia on March 14, 2009. On March 20, 2009, Entertainment Weekly began streaming the full album on imeem.[19]
This album debuted at #14 in the US, selling 19,000 copies in its first week.[20]
Album artwork direction and concept by Mario Hugo, with illustration by Carson Ellis and Colin Meloy
All songs written by Colin Meloy except where noted.
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