ACT I: THE LAKE SOUTH, THE RIVER NORTH

"Act I: The Lake South, The River North" is the debut full-length studio album by US, Providence, Rhode Island based progressive rock act The Dear Hunter. The album was released through Triple Crown Records in September 2006. "Act I: The Lake South, The River North" is sometimes referred to as an EP and sometimes as an album. Featuring 8 tracks and a total playing time of 38:36 minutes, I have chosen to call the release an album in this review. The band was formed as a side-project by Casey Crescenzo, while he was still a member of The Receiving End of Sirens, but after he left that band in 2006, The Dear Hunter became his main project. "Act I: The Lake South, The River North" is a concept album and the first part of a planned six-album concept story. The overall story arc is of the birth, life, and sudden death of a boy known as "The Dear Hunter". On this release Casey Crescenzo handles all instruments and vocals, except the drums which are played by his brother Nick Crescenzo and a few other guest performances (including his mother Judy Crescenzo on backing vocals).

Stylistically the material on "Act I: The Lake South, The River North" is an atmospheric and alternative take on progressive rock. When the music is most loud and intense it sometimes reminds me of a less complex and chaotic sounding The Mars Volta (including the vocals), but most of the time the music is more subdued, melodic, and emotional in nature. The organic quality of the playing is one of the great assets of the album, and the songwriting is of a good quality too, which means the tracks are generally memorable, although it does take a few spins before they settle. In that regard "Act I: The Lake South, The River North" isn´t an instantly catchy release. It takes a bit more effort before you will be able to experience all the compositional details.

The album is a quality release on most parameters, but the vocals are a bit too emo/alternative rock styled to suit some of the songs. Crescenzo is arguably a skilled singer and he performs his vocals with both great passion and conviction, but he lacks that last bit of originality to his voice and delivery to push the music over the edge. As it is now "Act I: The Lake South, The River North" is a great release, and considering that it´s a debut release the quality is really high, but I still think the vocals and the melody lines could have been more interesting. A 3.5 star (70%) rating is deserved.