# Albums Similar to The Decemberists' "The Hazards of Love"? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [March 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696 "2010-03-25T01:50:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/1 "2010-03-25T01:50:15Z")
Or just artists evocative of that sound. It was my favorite album of last year, and I would like to find more in its vein. I’ve already tried the rest of their discography, and didn’t find it to be of the same caliber. ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 12:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/2 "2010-03-25T12:36:44Z")
Unfortunately, there aren’t any other bands out there that sound much of anything like the Decemberists. They have a unique mix of folk+pop+prog, then add Meloy’s very distinctive vocals and lyrics to the whoe thing. You say that you’ve tried the rest of their discography, but a lot of people overlook their earlier EP The Tain, which is the closest thing out there to The Hazards of Love. Have you heard it? The one non-Decemberists album I’d recommend as being similar to - but in many ways still very different than - The Hazards of Love is Black Sheep Boy by Okkervil River. It’s a concept album with a similar folk/pop base, but without the prog elements. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/3 "2010-03-25T13:41:38Z")
Difficult one, I’ll take a look through my collection and see if I can find anything. I also enjoyed the album. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/4 "2010-03-25T14:03:21Z")
What about it do you like? If you like the ethereal wordplay with a folkie bent, you might try harpist/pianist \*\*Joanna Newsom’s \*\*latest, a 3-disc set that is getting raves. If you like arch wordplay with musical sophistication, try \*\*Vampire Weekend’s \*\*first CD or the new one, Contra. If you like exploratory folk-ish / roots music based stuff, try \*\*Sufjan Stevens \*\*or **Andrew Bird** … Depends on where you want to go… ---
**Author:** ![Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Ian\_D.Bergkamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ian_D.Bergkamp)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/5 "2010-03-25T14:17:08Z")
You could also create a Pandora station for Hazards of Love and see what you get in response. Let me know if you do that, though, as I’d be interested in the results. ---
**Author:** ![Crotalus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crotalus/32/41_2.png) [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/6 "2010-03-25T14:24:03Z")
If you are not familiar with Jethro Tull, you might want to listen to Thick As A Brick, Passion Play and Minstrel In The Gallery from the early to mid 70s. There are some similarities to The Hazards of Love, and lots of differences. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/7 "2010-03-25T14:34:15Z")
_Hazards_ kind of reminded me of [_Fleet Foxes_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Foxes_%28album%29), although that might just be because I picked them up simultaneously. It’s also hard to mention comparing _The Decemberists_ without mentioning _The Shins_, although hard to point to anything quite like _Hazards_ in their discography, although their last two albums have a kinda-sorta similar sound. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Kobayashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4af34b/32.png) [@Mr.Kobayashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Kobayashi)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/8 "2010-03-25T14:41:12Z")
Missed the edit window; you might also want to check out stuff by [My Brightest Diamond](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TO6ip8XRn1M), their lead Shara Worden sings The Queen in _Hazards_. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/9 "2010-03-25T16:32:50Z")
> [@Mr.Kobayashi](#): > > _Hazards_ kind of reminded me of [_Fleet Foxes_](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fleet_Foxes_%28album%29), although that might just be because I picked them up simultaneously. Pandora agrees… they also come up a lot on my Tom Waits/Richard Hawley station. ---
**Author:** ![Ephemera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8baadc/32.png) [@Ephemera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ephemera)\ **Post date:** [March 25, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/10 "2010-03-25T22:07:42Z")
I am already familiar with My Brightest Diamond and Blacksheep Boy by Okkervil River. I like the former well enough, but don’t care too terribly much for the later except for So Come Back, I am Waiting. I will check out Fleet Foxes and look into Tull. > [@WordMan](#): > > What about it do you like? > > If you like the ethereal wordplay with a folkie bent, you might try harpist/pianist \*\*Joanna Newsom’s \*\*latest, a 3-disc set that is getting raves. > > If you like arch wordplay with musical sophistication, try \*\*Vampire Weekend’s \*\*first CD or the new one, Contra. > > If you like exploratory folk-ish / roots music based stuff, try \*\*Sufjan Stevens \*\*or **Andrew Bird** … > > Depends on where you want to go… All of that, pretty much, and in pretty much that order. I am most interested in the music and vocal signature, but I really like the prog flavor of the folk (my favorite track is The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid) and also enjoy the story of the album, though I’m generally not a fan of concept albums. > [@I'm Not Dennis Bergkamp](#): > > You could also create a Pandora station for Hazards of Love and see what you get in response. Pandora has only ever given me what I am looking for once, when I started a station for Grand Ole Party. Everything it played was art punk indie rock with female vocals, and I LOVED it, but every other station has been a severe disappointment, and throws stuff at me that is either superficially similar (yeah, I like female vocalists, but just because Sarah Fimm is a woman, that doesn’t mean she has much in common with Lady GaGa) or just off the wall. What do Louis Armstrong and Marina & the Diamonds have in common? It was then that I realized Pandora hates me. ---
**Author:** ![WordMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/e8c25b/32.png) [@WordMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WordMan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 12:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/11 "2010-03-26T12:05:40Z")
> [@Aesiron](#): > > All of that, pretty much, and in pretty much that order. I am most interested in the music and vocal signature, but I really like the prog flavor of the folk (my favorite track is The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid) and also enjoy the story of the album, though I’m generally not a fan of concept albums. From what I gather, Newsom would be up your alley. Like a complex harpist Kate Bush kinda vibe. Not quite prog in feel, but easily as complex and technically rendered… ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/12 "2010-03-26T14:40:16Z")
Not coming up with any really good matches, but a few possibilities: **Funeral** , Arcade Fire **All Hour Cymbals** , Yeasayer **The Seldom Seen Kid** , Elbow (although arguably **Leaders of the Free World** would be closer in style) Some Fleet Foxes and Beirut tracks, or even Rumours-era Fleetwood Mac sounds a little similar to my ear. Hope that is of some help anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Alka\_Seltzer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/c89c15/32.png) [@Alka\_Seltzer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alka_Seltzer)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/13 "2010-03-26T15:27:50Z")
Here’s an Elbow [song](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Scz4hf4vhVc) from uTube, not part of any of their albums. ---
**Author:** ![Negative\_Lite](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Negative\_Lite](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Negative_Lite)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2010, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/14 "2010-03-26T15:44:23Z")
I’d say Robyn Hitchcock. From the 80s, [Globe of Frogs](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TZxZgtSXWY8&feature=related). More recently [an acoustic track](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GKE0maCnw9s) that sounds Hazards-ish. And, wow, the magic of YouTube, here’s [the man playing live onstage with the Decemberists in 2007](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljS_BTuJUXY&feature=related)! So maybe the connection’s not just in my mind … ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/15 "2010-04-04T00:27:14Z")
For your request, my iPod “Genius” playlist creator comes up with a lot of songs by: Modest Mouse The National Iron & Wine as well as the bands already mentioned. So basically a lot of bands that sort all don’t sound alike but kinda in the same way. ---
**Author:** ![Musky\_Moon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/90db22/32.png) [@Musky\_Moon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musky_Moon)\ **Post date:** [April 4, 2010, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/albums-similar-to-the-decemberists-the-hazards-of-love/533696/16 "2010-04-04T16:04:41Z")
I would second Iron and Wine, and the National. I’ld also add Animal Collective (Merryweather Post Pavilion) and Bon Iver (For Emma Forever) Animal Collective is more prog/folk. Bon Iver has a unique and beautiful voice. Oh and I also second Andrew Bird. For me the better album is Mysterious Production of Eggs YMMV