We're waiting with bated breath for the next album from The Decemberists: The Hazards of Love. If you have better performance videos or more details email me.

The Hazards of Love will be released on March 24, 2009 on Capitol Records.


what we know
The album is one theme (as confirmed on a recent NPR Interview).

Tracks
01. Prelude
02. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
03. A Bower Scene
04. Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
05. The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
06. The Queen's Approach
07. Isn't it a Lovely Night?
08. The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
09. An Interlude
10. The Rake's Song
11. The Abduction of Margaret
12. The Queen's Rebuke / The Crossing
13. Annan Water
14. Margaret in Captivity
15. The Hazards of Love 3 (Revenge!)
16. The Wanting Comes in Waves (Reprise)
17. The Hazards of Love 4 (The Drowned)

known track performances
Hazards of Love x 2 (which two?)
Isn't It A Lovely Night with The Rake's Song
The Zoot
(Avery?)


other
Colin's NPR Archive
Decemberists NPR Archive
Live performances from archive.org

live performances worth downloading (general Decemberists interest, not Hazards specific)
(Colin Only) The Orange Peel (track 11 is some Hazards songs and awesome guy in the audience provides accompaniment for Engine Driver and Perfect Crime #2)
The 40 Watt (watch out for screaming guy during The Tain)
Messiah College (has Perfect Crime #1 and amusing banter)
WFPK Radio Show (Crane Wife performed in-order with a sad interviewer who doesn't know much)
Symphony Tour at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra (because I was there)


street cred
My concert attendance:
Fall 2005 - The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA.
Fall 2006 - The Tabernacle, Atlanta, GA.
Summer 2007 - Chastain Park, Atlanta, GA (with ASO).
Spring 2008 - The Fillmore, San Francisco, CA (Colin Only)
Fall 2008 - The Warfield, San Francisco, CA.

2005
The first concert I went to in 2005 was full of hardcore Decemberists fans. There was a strength and power in the air from everyone knowing the words to every song. They opened with The Tain. The atmopshere was charged with plenty of room for breathing, jumping, and moving around. I was in the crowd near Thor, Mr. NPC, and some girls in the audience.

2006
The 2006 concert was annoyingly crowded. The word had gotten out about The Decemberists and fair weather fans took over the experience. This was my first exposure to Colin performing his Culling of the Fold phone call maneuver. I was in the crowd near some girls asking me about the cartoon Peter and the Wolf.

2007
The summer 2007 concert with the symphony was a blast. I had a front-row seat about 20 feet from the stage. The audience was full of summer concert series subscribers and I ended up seated next to two lame girls who didn't stand up or sing the entire time. This was the most age skewed Decemberists event I've attended.

2008
Spring 2008 brings me to my first Colin Meloy only concert. Now we're back to mostly hardcore fans with great vocals emanating from the audience.
Fall 2008 is largely disappointing. Overcrowded venue coupled with too many people who don't know what to do ruined the mood. The energy of a Decemberists concert from 2005 isn't there anymore. Success is a bitch. I was standing next to a very tall gentleman and his girlfriend who were both strong Decemberists fans.