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

The second album by "The dear hunter" shows even more appetite for challenging music without following conventions. The vocal delivery is more mature, we hear great melodies and there's a small orchestra to support. Even more straightforward numbers like "The procession" have good executive complexity, not content to provide the same section in the same manner twice. The longest piece "The lake and the river" has a pretty irregular drumming beat and has so many changes that you won't remember it until listening to it for at least 10 times. The pastiche on 20's swing "The Oracles on the Delphi Express" is well defined and bursts into rock'n'roll celebration before complete quiet eerie part. "The church and the dime" has a motive that reminds of the second song, is just slower. The "Bitter suite" feels like a light prog suite at least with the beat and music flow, not necessarily instrumental complexity. The soaring melody in its third part make you feel triumphant. It's true that the album is longer than it should and with so many songs, it can get more challenging to stay focused but fortunately, the band never plays it safe.