Genre-defying indie band The Decemberists released their new album "Hazards of Love" on March 24 to a mostly favorable critical response. Frontman Colin Meloy and bandmates Chris Funk, Jenny Conlee, Nate Query and John Moen have managed to put out an album that is both thrilling and unexpected -- one that twists the group's trademark melodic sound in new and different ways.
There is no easy way to describe "Hazards of Love." One could perhaps say it is a hybrid between a rock opera and a musical.
While "Hazards of Love" lacks the catchy beauty of The Decemberists' 2006 album "The Crane Wife," it does offer a louder, broader range of sounds.
But it's the lyrics that take center stage in "Hazards of Love" as they draw listeners into complex and bizarre stories of characters, including someone named Margaret, who is caught in a love triangle with her lover William and a shape-shifting forest animal.
Such whimsy at first makes the album seem inaccessible. On their official web site, the band offers listeners one way of approaching the album.
"We Decemberists are not the sort to dictate how or where one should listen to our new record, but suffice it to say that we deem 'The Hazards of Love' to be best digested in one sitting, surrounded by tasseled pillows and indentured eunuchs," the band writes.
Sure enough, "Hazards of Love" has grown on me. The album is best enjoyed along with the album art from the band's official web site and a close reading of the lyrics.
Though "Hazards of Love" is not my favorite album by The Decemberists, I have to give the band credit for always surprising the listener with a new and fresh take on their sound.
If you've never listened to The Decemberists, do yourself a favor and buy one of their previous albums, like "Castaways and Cutouts." The Decemberists' earlier work is a more user-friendly introduction to their inimitable sound, style and wit than "Hazards of Love."
yeah yeah yeahs
There's something grown-up about "It's Blitz," the third full-length album by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, released on March 10. Almost three years after their sophomore effort, "Show Your Bones," the band is more stripped down and more vulnerable than ever before.
I highly suggest splurging for the deluxe version of the album to understand this new sound.
Four bonus acoustic versions of songs supplement this incarnation of the album, including an stripped down version of my favorite song, "Hysteria." With its soft sound, the song harkens back to two of the band's earlier singles, "Maps" and "Let Me Know," but also features a gentle but unbelievably beautiful string accompaniment uncharacteristic of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.
Listening to the acoustic selections I almost felt like a voyeur. The way that vocalist Karen O softly croons is wildly intimate. She has a beautiful voice when she sings softly and a wild voice when she screams, showing a versatility of emotion that we've only seen glimpses of on the band's previous albums.
In "Little Shadows" she sings "Patience, shadow. While you're sick, there's no sight to see. / Little shadow, little shadow. / To the night, will you follow me?"
"Soft Shock" and "Skeletons" are other notable tracks with a similarly poignant sound.
While the album is uncharacteristically soft for the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, two tracks retain their trademark disco dance sound: "Zero" and "Dragon Queen."
As a whole, this is an album of longing and loneliness with a glitzy vibe. One might imagine it played in a dirty and dimly lit city at nighttime, blasting through the cracked windows of abandoned warehouses.
This release is brave, mature, serious, sad, fun and funny all at once. "It's Blitz" is my favorite Yeah Yeah Yeahs album yet, and I'm looking forward to seeing what the band will create in the future.
