Anyone listening to the new Decemberists?
 

Quite different from their previous stuff. Interesting, but not sure what I think about it quite yet.....

You can stream their concert from sxsw where they play it live, in its entirety:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...ryId=101397853

Let me preface it by saying I have never been a huge Decemberists fan; but have seen Colin in show a few different times and ways, and think this is very reflective of his taste.
I've only run through it half a dozen times; but when I did, I just started fron the beginning, and ran through the entire album while I was working - which is the correct way.
The downside:
A little heavy on the dramatic extremes for my regular background listening, and I don't make a practice of rock opera; and I don't know if Ican still see myself pulling singles down the road.
The upside:
Colin's vocals seem a bit more tempered, by the music and women, than my perceived 'normal' which I like; as he grates on me in larger doses.

Overall, I dig it, but not sure how much dedication I have to absorbing it in it's entirety; where Crane Wife & Picaresque, the last two, had definite singles you could pull.

I was about to download it, I will post thoughts after two listens

I love the new album, but then again, I've loved almost everything they've done. The only exception is "The Perfect Crime #2" which annoys me because it's too repetitive. Strangely enough, my favorite Decemberists album is the one with the only song that I don't like.

But yeah, The Hazards of Love has some cool stuff on it. I like the way the tracks all lead into each other. It's a very fluid listening experience. I think the chorus on "The Wanting Comes in Waves/Repaid" is maybe the catchiest thing they've ever done.