ACT II: THE MEANING OF, & ALL THINGS REGARDING MS. LEADING

The issue with the idea of making a 5 album long concept album is a twofold one. Not only does it become that much more crucial that each part is able to garner a strong positive reception, lest nobody actually cares and you've shot yourself in the foot with such lofty goals, but you've got to make sure that the music, but you also need to make sure that the music itself has merit even without the narrative aspect of it. The Dear Hunter proved to succeed in both of these areas with their debut, but would only end up outdoing their ambition with its 2nd act. Not only is this album double the length, but it also finds itself pulling from a broader range of influences and adding considerably more detail to the already busy sound they put on display. There might be some flawed bits in this one, especially with its length paving the way to some filler, but even so, Act II certainly pushed the band forward, even if it wasn't quite as good as what they'd become soon after.

One aspect that I feel Act II did particularly well is the way most of these tracks transition into each other cleanly and cohesively, almost making it all feel like one big suite, reinforcing the feeling of it all being one constantly progressing story arc. It not only provides some appeal for those who just want to listen to the album, as it's nothing intrusive and has some charm, especially with the way it can fall into reprises of those previous songs, but it further rewards those who have interest in the narrative components of the band's writing. The first couple of songs of the album reveal that despite some of the rawness being cut out of their sound in favour of more detailed symphonic arrangements and the like, that both the sense of melody and powerful intensity remain completely intact. The Lake and The River especially represents this with its gorgeous melodies and often upbeat instrumentation being paired with Casey's vocals being equal parts melancholic and passionate. Often even during the more subdued sections, you'll find the backing vocal arrangements carrying these more fierce qualities instead. This song all culminates in both aspects crashing together with some wonderfully distorted guitar to bring it all to a climactic close, with its little coda then acting as a perfect leadup to the next song.

The more progressive angle to the band also shines through quite a lot here, bringing forth a vast array of emotions that represent the tumultuous story that's being conveyed. So many of these songs even on their own end up effortlessly moving through so many ideas, whether it's The Church and the Dime's gradual shift from a sense of exploration and curiosity to desperation and sorrow, or the total stylistic 180 of The Bitter Suite I & II, Act II remembers to almost always keep the listener on their toes. Despite all the effort made to bring a much more refined sound to the table, there's also no doubt that The Dear Hunter still know how to have some fun with things. For every beautiful, heartfelt songs this has, such as The Bitter Suite III, you've usually got something far more upbeat waiting for you right after, such as Smiling Swine, a song that manages to sound so gleeful that it becomes borderline unhinged. This balance the album strikes is its strongest quality, keeping things varied in multiple ways and providing so much compelling contrast from song to song due to how tastefully both extremes are handled.

Unfortunately, even with so much done right, Act II still ends up being one of the band's weaker albums due to the way its flaws prevent this from being as enjoyable a full album experience as it by all rights should be. A lot of this comes down to the way the final few tracks fall rather flat for the most part. The aforementioned sense of balance that ties much of the album together falters by the end, with the multitude of more sombre, emotional songs becoming quite draining. This feels both because of the more homogenous sound this last stretch has as a result, combined with the length of the album beginning to be felt in these final few songs, turning a potentially minor misstep into something that feels far larger, and making it all a bit of a slog to get through. It's not really the end of the world by any means, mind you, the album's still great, but the drop in quality that rears its head by the end stops this from reaching its incredible potential.

Despite the issues I may find the album to have, I cannot deny the fact that this is an amazing album that improves almost everything great the band had already established while also feeling like its own distinct identity, rather than just a 2nd part of the same album. So much this album does highlights why The Dear Hunter are one of my favourite bands out there right now, with the progressive and indie rock core being elevated by a lot of theatrics and embellishments to nail that rock opera aesthetic in the best ways. Even with my complaints, I feel like this is a good entry point into the band's earlier sound, captures their intensity while demonstrating their more elegant, beautiful moments, giving the listener a good overview of the band while also showing them some of their best songs as well.

Best songs: The Lake and the River, The Oracles of Delphi Express, The Bitter Suite I & II, Smiling Swine

Weakest songs: Blood of the Rose, Where the Road Parts