The Decemberists’ last album, The Crane Wife, was a musical rendition of a Japanese folk tale, so perhaps it’s not all that surprising that their upcoming album, The Hazards of Love, is a rock opera about a girl named Margaret, her lover William, a lecherous rake, and a forest queen. ‘The Rake’s Song’ gives the back-story of the album’s narrator, telling us of how he married too young but was happy “until her womb started spilling out babies.” After his wife and fourth child die during delivery, the rake asks us “what can one do when one a widower is shamefully saddled with three little pests?” The song is ploddingly guitar- and drum-heavy and throughout the rake’s voice is lilting and devoid of emotion, building upon the depravity of his character. While the chorus of “Alright! Alright! Alright!” is catchy, it is ironic at best, as the rake’s story of infanticide is anything but “alright”. However, through its blatant turpitude, the Rake’s Song manages to be playful and will have you reluctantly singing along to even the most degenerate of lines.
