Albums to watch

The Hazards Of Love

The Decemberists

The Hazards Of Love

folk-rock storytelling and ballads from the Portland quintet on their fifth album

ADM rating[?]

7.2

Label
Rough Trade
UK Release date
23/03/2009
  1. 10.0 |   The List

    Some of the most breathtakingly affecting songwriting anywhere.
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  2. 10.0 |   The Times

    If anyone has made a more breathtaking folk-rock album in the past 20 years, I've yet to hear it.
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  3. 9.0 |   Independent on Sunday

    An always melodic, singalong blend of Broadway and bedlam. It's like the Decemberists, only with teeth and claws. Brilliant.
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  4. 8.0 |   musicOMH

    Classic Decemberists - all folk pop whimsy wrapped up in darker lyrics than their surface suggests.
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  5. 8.0 |   Clash

    Refreshing and courageous in today’s whirlwind of three-minute soundbites, but whether fans will commit the time required to digest this record is yet to be seen. 
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  6. 8.0 |   Drowned In Sound

    … maybe the story will prove to be a grower.
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  7. 8.0 |   Observer Music Monthly

    The dexterity and lyrical reach make most other bands seem aimless.
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  8. 8.0 |   PopMatters

    A sheer gamble from the first. Improbable as it seems, they just might pull it off. But if anyone could, wouldn’t you expect it to be the Decemberists?
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  9. 8.0 |   Uncut

    If there’s a movie version, the Coen Brothers need to get the first call.
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  10. 6.0 |   The Guardian

    If you only buy one prog-folk concept album about a maiden being ravished by a shape-shifting demon this year, The Hazards of Love should undoubtedly be it.
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  11. 6.0 |   The Independent

    The dread spectres of Jethro Tull and Atomic Rooster rise above tracks where the folksy arrangements develop heavy blues-rock riffing of 1970s vintage.
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  12. 6.0 |   NME

    Sounds like Death Cab For Cutie covering Fairport Convention. 
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  13. 5.7 |   Pitchfork

    Largely missing the catchy choruses and verisimilar emotions that previously served as ballast for the Decemberists' gaudy eccentricities.
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  14. 5.0 |   Spin

    It's a hazardous bet that yields spectacular sparks but ultimately asks for much more than it's willing to give.
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  15. 4.0 |   Blender

    A medieval romance that feels like homework. 
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The Decemberists: The Hazards Of Love

  • Download full album for just £8.49
  • 1. Prelude £0.89
  • 2. The Hazards Of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won’t Wrestle The Thistles Undone) £0.89
  • 3. A Bower Scene £0.89
  • 4. Won’t Want For Love (Margaret In The Taiga) £0.89
  • 5. The Hazards Of Love 2 (Wager All) £0.89
  • 6. The Queen’s Approach £0.89
  • 7. Isn’t It A Lovely Night? £0.89
  • 8. The Wanting Comes In Waves/Repaid £0.89
  • 9. An Interlude £0.89
  • 10. The Rake’s Song £0.89
  • 11. The Abduction Of Margaret £0.89
  • 12. The Queen’s Rebuke/The Crossing £0.89
  • 13. Annan Water £0.89
  • 14. Margaret In Captivity £0.89
  • 15. The Hazards Of Love 3 (Revenge!) £0.89
  • 16. The Wanting Comes In Waves (Reprise) £0.89
  • 17. The Hazards Of Love 4 (The Drowned) £0.89
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