18. The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists

By: Daniel Griffiths

				The Hazards of Love by The Decemberists

Let's just imagine that the Space Race kept on going and man lived on the moon. You hear Dark Side, travel to the moon and come back in 2009, and the first album you hear is The Hazards Of Love. You wouldn't know you'd been away for 36 years. 

I'm not saying it's derivative and stuck in bygone era. Far from it. The Decemberists take inspiration from the progressive movement of the 1970s and apply their sound to this framework. They've created an album that flows between heavy, crunching guitar riffs and the softest music you can think of. It's an album that has recurring musical themes, making you believe you're listening to something more than just a collection of songs. It's an album that opens itself to you and allows you to lose yourself in its magnificence.

Stream: "The Drowned" by The Decemberists