ok, so i'm ready with my final thoughts (in this space at least) regarding the hazards of love.
I love it. I like it more than the Crane Wife, but less than all previous work. BUT I like this album in a much different way. Let me try and explain what i mean.
Particularly the decemberists excel in a number of ways on this album. First off, musically I would say that HOL is a new and great creative step forward by the band. Maybe not in precision or skill, but taking the concept of a rock opera and flawlessly putting out a nearly hour long piece of work that seamlessly fuses together each piece of the story without batting an eye. It's downright excellent. I feel like they were preparing their chops for this grand of an undertaking on crane wife. And here they are allowed to just go all out. As I had clearly stated in the past I was quite hesitant about this. The crane wife just wasn't that great to me. But here with the band being allowed take their idea and stretch it until it becomes a true landscape results in a magnificent piece of work.
The only part of this argument is that because the story is just that and needs to make sense not only lyrically but musically I found that sometimes the music hovered near repetitive. The band's way of reminding the listener of the themes being expressed. Essentially, if you like track 1, you will like the entire album. It feels like HOL is just one track, with the band rising and falling through the different movements of the story. Also I totally hate kids singing. They have kids singing.
Lyrically, I found also because a story is being told that perhaps if you don't like the story all that much, then you won't find much interest in the lyrics otherwise.
The flip side to that is the work put in my the guest female guest vocalists. Particularly Sharon Worden of My Brightest Diamond. She's become officially an indie credible female voice and a force in the genre.
You think the decemberists aren't powerful any more. Listen to HOL4. It's an epic closer and sends those all too familiar decmeberists chills down my spine every time.
I know in another week I'm going to be tired of this album. But for right now I am enjoying the ride.
I love it. I like it more than the Crane Wife, but less than all previous work. BUT I like this album in a much different way. Let me try and explain what i mean.
Particularly the decemberists excel in a number of ways on this album. First off, musically I would say that HOL is a new and great creative step forward by the band. Maybe not in precision or skill, but taking the concept of a rock opera and flawlessly putting out a nearly hour long piece of work that seamlessly fuses together each piece of the story without batting an eye. It's downright excellent. I feel like they were preparing their chops for this grand of an undertaking on crane wife. And here they are allowed to just go all out. As I had clearly stated in the past I was quite hesitant about this. The crane wife just wasn't that great to me. But here with the band being allowed take their idea and stretch it until it becomes a true landscape results in a magnificent piece of work.
The only part of this argument is that because the story is just that and needs to make sense not only lyrically but musically I found that sometimes the music hovered near repetitive. The band's way of reminding the listener of the themes being expressed. Essentially, if you like track 1, you will like the entire album. It feels like HOL is just one track, with the band rising and falling through the different movements of the story. Also I totally hate kids singing. They have kids singing.
Lyrically, I found also because a story is being told that perhaps if you don't like the story all that much, then you won't find much interest in the lyrics otherwise.
The flip side to that is the work put in my the guest female guest vocalists. Particularly Sharon Worden of My Brightest Diamond. She's become officially an indie credible female voice and a force in the genre.
You think the decemberists aren't powerful any more. Listen to HOL4. It's an epic closer and sends those all too familiar decmeberists chills down my spine every time.
I know in another week I'm going to be tired of this album. But for right now I am enjoying the ride.
No comments:
Post a Comment