The Hazards of Love! Review and Summary
Hey gang,
Ok, so I made the mistake tonight of downloading the new Decemberists album "The Hazards of Love". Why a mistake? Well, 4 hours and 6 listenings later, I think I've finally figured out what the album is about. I tried to find a summary of the plot online but other than a few coy references in "e-zine" reviews, I found nothing useful. So I'm going to put what *I* think the plot is (now that I have figured out all the lyrics) so that no one else who reads this will be driven insane. But first, my own personal review of the album:
The music on the album is very in keeping with the mellower side of The Decemberists. There's nothing on here that is terribly exciting, but it's nice to listen to. If you like songs like "We Both Go Down Together", you'll love this album. If you're more a fan of the more whimsical songs like "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" then you may be a little bored. The plot/lyrics, however, are pretty interesting. It's a very dark fairy tale, and what makes it brilliant is the way in which the sounds of the songs match/mismatch the plot. "Isn't it a lovely night?" sounds so jolly, but once you put it in context with the rest of the songs and who is singing, it's terrifying. This happens a lot on this album: the first few times you listen to a song you get a certain vibe off it, and then when you finally figure out what's being said it totally changes your perception. For someone like me, who obsesses over figuring out the hidden meaning of every word, it's like a reward for diligence, but if you don't want to think to hard about the words then you are going to hate this album.
Ok, now for the plot. I'm going to put it behind a cut because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who wants to figure it out on their own, but if you do I'd be interested to see if our interpretations match up. Ok, here goes:
The album starts with the main character, Margaret, walking through the woods near her home. In the first song "The Hazards of Love Part 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)" she finds a wounded white fawn with a dislocated hind leg laying in a clearing. She attempts to pull the leg back into place, but the beast fights her. She then realizes that it's strange movements aren't from pain, but because it is changing shape as the sun goes down, turning into a fairy boy. The next song, "A Bower Scene" takes place a couple of months later, when Margaret's sister notices that she is showing signs of being pregnant. Margaret is reviled and flees from home to try to find the boy she loved in the woods.
The next song "Won't Want for Love (Margaret at The Taiga)", Margaret asks for protection from the night by all the plants of the forest and hopes that the spirits of the wood will help her to reunite with her love. In "The Hazards of Love Part 2 (Wager All)" the fairy boy William runs away from his mother, the fairy queen, to be with his love. He rushes to find her where she sleeps on the banks of the river Taiga, but just as he is about to be reunited with her his mother appears with "The Queen's Approach". She sings "Isn't It a Lovely Night?", obviously feigning innocent shock at finding WIlliam rushing to meet a pregnant girl alone in the woods.
In "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", we find out that William was born a human and was turned into a fairy by the Queen's magic. He begs her to be allowed to be human for one night so that he can be with his love. The Fairy Queen changes tone instantly and becomes vicious, and the song has a really nice duality, with the music representing the struggle of power. In the end, a deal is struck that William can have one night of freedom if he promises that his life belongs to the Queen as soon as the sun rises.
As soon as the deal is struck, a murderous rapist appears singing "The Rake's Song", where he tells the story of his life: he married a girl because he wanted to have sex with her, but then she began having children that he had to provide for. "Luckily" she died during her fourth childbirth. The Rake then murdered his other three children and has just set out to find a way to celebrate his newfound freedom when he comes upon Margaret sleeping on the riverbank. In "The Abduction of Margaret" he grabs her and tries to rape her. The Fairy Queen reveals herself in "The Queen's Rebuke" and thanks the Rake for removing this temptation for her son. She offers to carry the Rake and Margaret to the other side of the river, where William can't stop the rape.
William sees the Rake and Margaret disappear into the woods on the far side of the river, and sees that there is no way he will be able to cross the river alive. In "Annan Water" he tells the spirit of the river that if he is allowed to cross now, it may have his bones as a reward upon his return. Meanwhile, the Rake has Margaret pinned down in a clearing, and in "Margaret in Captivity" she cries out to her love to come and rescue her. WIlliam comes upon this scene and, filled with rage, resurrects the spirits of the Rake's three dead children. In "The Hazards of Love Part 3 (Revenge!)" the children sing about how careless their father was for "accidentally" letting them die, and then they take their father with them to the other side.
In "The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)" William is overjoyed by being reunited with Margaret, but tells her that he has to return to the river to complete their bargain. She agrees (unspokenly) to come with him, so they can be together. In "The Hazards of Love Part 4 (The Drowned)" they try to sail back across the river, knowing they are doomed. As their boat sinks, they express sorrow but also happiness that the Fairy Queen won't be able to seperate them anymore, and they will wander like stones on the river bottom forever.
Ok, so I made the mistake tonight of downloading the new Decemberists album "The Hazards of Love". Why a mistake? Well, 4 hours and 6 listenings later, I think I've finally figured out what the album is about. I tried to find a summary of the plot online but other than a few coy references in "e-zine" reviews, I found nothing useful. So I'm going to put what *I* think the plot is (now that I have figured out all the lyrics) so that no one else who reads this will be driven insane. But first, my own personal review of the album:
The music on the album is very in keeping with the mellower side of The Decemberists. There's nothing on here that is terribly exciting, but it's nice to listen to. If you like songs like "We Both Go Down Together", you'll love this album. If you're more a fan of the more whimsical songs like "My Mother Was a Chinese Trapeze Artist" then you may be a little bored. The plot/lyrics, however, are pretty interesting. It's a very dark fairy tale, and what makes it brilliant is the way in which the sounds of the songs match/mismatch the plot. "Isn't it a lovely night?" sounds so jolly, but once you put it in context with the rest of the songs and who is singing, it's terrifying. This happens a lot on this album: the first few times you listen to a song you get a certain vibe off it, and then when you finally figure out what's being said it totally changes your perception. For someone like me, who obsesses over figuring out the hidden meaning of every word, it's like a reward for diligence, but if you don't want to think to hard about the words then you are going to hate this album.
Ok, now for the plot. I'm going to put it behind a cut because I don't want to spoil it for anyone else who wants to figure it out on their own, but if you do I'd be interested to see if our interpretations match up. Ok, here goes:
The album starts with the main character, Margaret, walking through the woods near her home. In the first song "The Hazards of Love Part 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)" she finds a wounded white fawn with a dislocated hind leg laying in a clearing. She attempts to pull the leg back into place, but the beast fights her. She then realizes that it's strange movements aren't from pain, but because it is changing shape as the sun goes down, turning into a fairy boy. The next song, "A Bower Scene" takes place a couple of months later, when Margaret's sister notices that she is showing signs of being pregnant. Margaret is reviled and flees from home to try to find the boy she loved in the woods.
The next song "Won't Want for Love (Margaret at The Taiga)", Margaret asks for protection from the night by all the plants of the forest and hopes that the spirits of the wood will help her to reunite with her love. In "The Hazards of Love Part 2 (Wager All)" the fairy boy William runs away from his mother, the fairy queen, to be with his love. He rushes to find her where she sleeps on the banks of the river Taiga, but just as he is about to be reunited with her his mother appears with "The Queen's Approach". She sings "Isn't It a Lovely Night?", obviously feigning innocent shock at finding WIlliam rushing to meet a pregnant girl alone in the woods.
In "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid", we find out that William was born a human and was turned into a fairy by the Queen's magic. He begs her to be allowed to be human for one night so that he can be with his love. The Fairy Queen changes tone instantly and becomes vicious, and the song has a really nice duality, with the music representing the struggle of power. In the end, a deal is struck that William can have one night of freedom if he promises that his life belongs to the Queen as soon as the sun rises.
As soon as the deal is struck, a murderous rapist appears singing "The Rake's Song", where he tells the story of his life: he married a girl because he wanted to have sex with her, but then she began having children that he had to provide for. "Luckily" she died during her fourth childbirth. The Rake then murdered his other three children and has just set out to find a way to celebrate his newfound freedom when he comes upon Margaret sleeping on the riverbank. In "The Abduction of Margaret" he grabs her and tries to rape her. The Fairy Queen reveals herself in "The Queen's Rebuke" and thanks the Rake for removing this temptation for her son. She offers to carry the Rake and Margaret to the other side of the river, where William can't stop the rape.
William sees the Rake and Margaret disappear into the woods on the far side of the river, and sees that there is no way he will be able to cross the river alive. In "Annan Water" he tells the spirit of the river that if he is allowed to cross now, it may have his bones as a reward upon his return. Meanwhile, the Rake has Margaret pinned down in a clearing, and in "Margaret in Captivity" she cries out to her love to come and rescue her. WIlliam comes upon this scene and, filled with rage, resurrects the spirits of the Rake's three dead children. In "The Hazards of Love Part 3 (Revenge!)" the children sing about how careless their father was for "accidentally" letting them die, and then they take their father with them to the other side.
In "The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)" William is overjoyed by being reunited with Margaret, but tells her that he has to return to the river to complete their bargain. She agrees (unspokenly) to come with him, so they can be together. In "The Hazards of Love Part 4 (The Drowned)" they try to sail back across the river, knowing they are doomed. As their boat sinks, they express sorrow but also happiness that the Fairy Queen won't be able to seperate them anymore, and they will wander like stones on the river bottom forever.