Photo by Nilina Mason-CampbellColin Meloy has always seemed more like the kind of guy who would use the word "rake" in a song title than an actual rake. And if you're unfamiliar, then the band Meloy leads-- Pacific Northwest folk-pop troupe the Decemberists-- would probably seem more likely to sing songs about stuff made out of metal (bagatelle balls, aluminum walls, samovars) than to do anything resembling the musical genre of metal, ever. What, you didn't at least read Nick Sylvester's review of The Tain EP?"The Rake's Song", from forthcoming rock opera The Hazards of Love, has the epic storytelling style of that EP and the Led Zep dinosaur-beat of a couple of tracks on 2006's The Crane Wife. Heavy sludge surrounds clanging acoustic-guitar chords, theatrical cries, and Meloy's confident voice, telling the story of a dissolute youth who gets married, has babies, and then becomes "your humble narrator." It's more Brave Little Tailor than Spinal Tap, but then, so am I.MP3:> The Decemberists: "The Rake's Song" (they'll ask you for your e-mail address)[from The Hazards of Love; due 03/24/09 on Capitol]