Decemberists fans fall into two camps – those who love their new LP (The Hazards Of Love) and those who loathe the release. Unfortunately, I must admit that my thoughts on their latest effort swing towards the latter sentiment. I was hoping that the concept album would translate better in a live setting (especially at such a legendary venue). Sadly, it did not. However, to my delight, the second set, which featured a slew of old faves, was much more enjoyable than the first (which was dedicated solely to the aforementioned full-length). In addition to rousing renditions of ‘Billy Liar’, ‘The Chimbley Sweep’ & ‘July July’, The Decemberists tackled Heart’s ‘Crazy On You’ & even brought out R.E.M.’s Peter Buck for an outstanding rendition of ‘Begin The Begin’. A brilliant change in gears from the gig’s tepid first half. View all forthcoming Decemberists tour dates here. Visit ‘em on MySpace.
More photos, the setlist & a Decemberists MP3 AFTER THE JUMP…
(Setlist) [Set 1] The Hazards Of Love. [Set 2] The Crane Wife 3. July July. Billy Liar. Sleepless. The Bachelor & The Bride. Dracula’s Daughter. O Valencia. The Chimbley Sweep. Crazy On You.
(Encore) Begin The Begin. Sons & Daughters.
MP3: The Decemberists – The Rake’s Song
Are you kidding me? “Tepid first half”??? I thought it was a sensational performance from start to finish. Yes, “Hazards of Love” is a bit of a departure from what the Decemberists have presented in the past; however, the more one listens to the album the subtle genius becomes apparent. The story Meloy has constructed is interesting lyrically and as far as the musical accompaniment- the band was and is spot on live and on the recorded album. In an age of 2 min. sampled songs, and weird over produced bands leading the way for what we deem as innovative, the Decemberists mark a connection to the purest from of, shall I dare say it, Rock and Roll.
“Tepid”? The Hazards of Love may be a departure from previous Decemberists albums, it may not be as immediately acessible as the more mainstream Crane Wife, it may be a little too dense or even proggy for some people, but “tepid”? You need a better thesaurus.
if u don’t like tepid, how about lukewarm, mediocre or anti-special? it is a very disappointing release…
This show was awesome, reminded me of a Pink Floyd show I saw as a teenager. You have to “get” the album to have appreciated it though. Sorry that you didn’t.
hazards of love = concept album fail!
Wow is all I have to say. What a courageous album to make and the translation to a live show blew me away (and the other 2000 people at the show.) You need to get the wax cleaned out of your ears.
radio city holds 6000 people
I liked the album, but really, really liked it as a live set in Atlanta. Stark and Worden added a lot of “oomph” to the proceedings, imho.
I almost didn’t listen to The Hazards of Love CD although I had it in the stack of cds ready to listen to on my latest road trip …. because although I have loved the Decemberists in the past I was bored [to be brutally honest] and the few songs played by local radio seemed like more of the same …. It was the only cd I hadn’t listened to, so I thought what the heck and popped it in…. I absolutely fell in love with the first 5 songs of the cd …. I guess I am not done with the Decemberists after all [or rather they are not done with me] wow …. I would love to see this performed live …. It must be a treat ;>
I’ll stick up for the Slut here. What’s made the Decemberists such a compelling band over the years is the delicate balance between the tongue-in-cheek playfulness of their upbeat pop songs and the overblown prog rock tunes. Hazards has no playfulness, it’s just Colin going full-blown pretentious.
The Hazards of Love > The Crane Wife
ooooo I don’t know about that. I think they’re both fantastic as albums, and the Hazards of Love probably has some better moments. Actually they’re pretty close. Oy whichever I’m listening to at the moment is better.