O what providence! What divine intelligence!

The Decemberists have a new album due March 24. You'll excuse me if I geek out for a moment.


The Hazards of Love is what the Decemberists have been on the verge of doing their entire career: a full-blown rock opera. It will bring us the story of "a woman named Margaret who is ravaged by a shape-shifting animal; her lover, Williams; a forest queen; and a cold-blooded, lascivious rake," says a press release. All we need are some pirates, some ghosts and some pirate ghosts, and it sounds pretty typical, really.

And then's the track listing -- oh, gods, the track listing:

1. Prelude
2. The Hazards of Love 1 (The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone)
3. A Bower Scene
4. Won't Want for Love (Margaret in the Taiga)
5. The Hazards of Love 2 (Wager All)
6. The Queen's Approach
7. Isn't It a Lovely Night?
8. The Wanting Comes in Waves / Repaid
9. 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)

Sweet Jesus. "The Prettiest Whistles Won't Wrestle the Thistles Undone"? I haven't heard a note of this, and it's already my favorite album ever.

On that note, here are the Decemberists, live in the studio, performing the greatest song ever: "The Mariner's Revenge Song" from Picaresque, one of the most spectacular records ever produced.