The Hazards of Love

For the EP by Anne Briggs, see The Hazards of Love (EP).
The Hazards of Love
Studio album by
The Decemberists
ReleasedMarch 24, 2009
Recorded2008
Genre
Length58:37
LabelCapitol/Rough Trade
ProducerTucker Martine
The Decemberists chronology
Live from SoHo
(2007) 		The Hazards of Love
(2009) 		The King Is Dead
(2011)
Singles from The Hazards of Love
  1. "The Rake's Song"
    Released: January 27, 2009

The Hazards of Love is the fifth album by the American indie rock band The Decemberists, released through Capitol Records and Rough Trade in 2009.[5] The album was inspired by an Anne Briggs EP titled The Hazards of Love. According to the band, frontman Colin Meloy had set out to write a song with the album's title, which eventually developed into an entire album. Becky Stark (of Lavender Diamond), Shara Nova (of My Brightest Diamond), and Jim James (of My Morning Jacket) provide guest vocals throughout the album,[6] while Robyn Hitchcock makes a cameo guitar appearance on "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 on the band's previous album, 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, the jealous Forest Queen (voiced by Nova), and the villainous Rake (also voiced by Meloy) bring conflict to the album's story arc.[6]

  1. ^ Wright, Danny (January 25, 2015). "The Decemberists: "Time is relative"". DIY. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  2. ^ Sacher, Andrew (March 12, 2018). "The Decemberists' synth-heavy new album is their best in years (stream it)". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  3. ^ a b Monger, James Christopher. "The King Is Dead - The Decemberists | Songs, Reviews, Credits". AllMusic. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  4. ^ Hann, Michael (January 8, 2015). "The Decemberists' Colin Meloy on chart success and chicken feed". The Guardian. Retrieved December 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Thompson, Paul (December 10, 2008). "Decemberists reveal The Hazards of Love date, tracklist". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on December 13, 2008. Retrieved April 3, 2009.
  6. ^ a b "The Decemberists: 'The Hazards of Love'". Top40 Charts. January 16, 2009. Retrieved April 3, 2009.