ACT I: THE LAKE SOUTH, THE RIVER NORTH

This is the first part of Casey Crescenzo's 6-part concept album about a boy named simply The Dear Hunter. However, the first part is an EP, not a full LP. Nevertheless, this is still a pretty sound recording.

This EP was recorded before Casey had formed a permanent core of musicians to create "The Dear Hunter's" music. But I highly doubt that discouraged him in any way, given the fact that he plays nearly all the instruments and does lead vocals. Except for some drums, organ, trumpet, and three backing vocalists (both the drummers and two of the vocalists are relatives of Casey's although I'm not sure which ones they are), this is pretty much a solo project by Casey under the name "The Dear Hunter". The music is still of a very high quality however. It is of course very eclectic in range, going from post-hardcore and experimental rock to progressive rock as well as folksy and acoustic passages. The production quality is of course of a very high quality. Casey did do some production work on the debut album for The Receiving End of Sirens so it's safe to assume that the production quality here is crisp and clear.

Normally I don't like giving EPs a 5 star rating, and unfortunately I won't be doing so with this one. I tend to enjoy this a bit more than Act II because the length isn't an issue here. I'll give this 4.5 stars, but round it down to 4. If you're looking to check this band out and are worried about the lengthy debut LP, start here. Recommended to...well, pretty much anyone who enjoys eclectic music with a bit of quirkiness.