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

I first heard of "The Dear Hunter" from a friend of mine who saw them perform live. I can't remember what band he said they were performing with. But from the way he described them, they sounded like a fine jewel shining in what is the otherwise murky waters of experimental/progressive rock. Sometimes it bothers me how many people seem to think that "experimental rock" and "progressive rock" are the same thing these days, so I ended up putting them off for awhile, dismissing them as another experimental rock band that was just a fad of indie rockers. One day I happened to notice that they were on PA however and ended up listening to the sample song The Lake and the River on their page. I probably listened to it a good 4-5 times in a row. The two things that surprised me the most were Casey Crescenzo's vocals and the very eclectic approach the song had. But needless to say, I was hooked immediately. I got both this album and Act I shortly after, and both have done anything but disappoint. It's amazing how many genres have been crammed into this album.

There's definitely elements of post-hardcore (since Casey was previously in the post-hardcore band "The Receiving End of Sirens"), but those influences are only noticeable from time to time. There's also progressive rock, experimental rock, a bit of folk, some nice acoustic work, and what I think are some influences from Coheed and Cambria. Although no single genre of music sticks out more than the others. This is a very eclectic album. And it touches many different emotions as well. On one song, Casey may be shouting and belting the lyrics out to higher ranges and the music is heavy-hitting (a bit lighter than The Mars Volta) and in the next song, the music shifts to Casey almost whispering with some nice acoustic instruments and violins, harp, and trumpet among others. There's really something for people of all musical tastes here. The production quality is top notch as well. Nothing I can complain about it.

Really, this album is pretty close to perfect. But if there's one thing I can complain about, it's the length. I read about how the band actually recorded 120 minutes of music for the album, but had to cut it down to 77 because they didn't want to release a double LP. Sometimes when I listen to the album, my mind tends to drift off briefly in the second half. Regardless, this is a very talented project that Mr. Crescenzo has created and I can't wait to see the 6-part concept unfold. I'll definitely be picking up Act III: Life and Death later this month. Keep your eyes on this band in the coming years because they're starting to make some huge impacts. 4 stars to a well-deserved release.