The Most Cursed of Hands/Who Am I (4.5): when chatting with Casey, he says he has never listened to the Decemberists (apart from their guest spot on Parks and Recreation). I know this is a typical gospel blues progression (based on the end of "King of Swords (Reversed)" progression), but it really reminds me of "The Island/Come and See"s opening progression, as well as "The Wanting Comes In Waves" main riff. Casey called the Decemberists a "progressive Death Cab for Cutie" and remarked that Colin Meloy's voice stands between him and enjoying their music. I like that anecdote because I know a lot of people stumble over Casey's distinctive voice. I find them both beautiful, but Casey is unquestionably a talent vocalist and most of us listen to Meloy for his 'character'. when the riff hits hard on 3:39 in this track, it is incredible.

this song, among most on this album, really benefits by being invested in the story. "The Devil said, "Revel in your victory, You've earned your damning, pack your things and leave"/But the gambler only stood and stuttered, stammering on words of disbelief/Now you've won a new vocation, pray to me that you can stand the heat!" is such a great set of lyrics. the "hunter" character, as the gambler in the priest's parable, has become the devil and the "who am I" ending reflects this identity crisis. the ouroboros callback is great, both for the plot's sake and what that song meant for it, and also just as a nice callback

callbacks, again: 4:22, he said he had a story

0.5 docked because "who am I" works better as plot point than as part of the song

Revival 5/5: this song is just good, hooky (ha) dear hunter. great vibe to the song, and ends with the "washed your hands of it!" vocal climax, which is just fun to hear. the breakdown at 4:17 is pure glory. i see why people would be underwhelmed by the song, but it works for me -- like a better version of "Deny It All", somehow. the chorus benefits by making triplets in the rhythm of "the secret's safe as long as you pay". the instrumental at 1:31 is really snarky and cheeky, but its so much fun and it ends with a GREAT piano trill. they're hamming it up, and they do it well. in "the old haunt" at 1:25, there is a similar sounding snarky part.

Melpomene 3.5/5: this is a good song. it takes a while to get used to its inventive key changes (they are all over). it might work better and be more immediate without the key changes, but it does make for a fun song from a theory perspective. this is one of two songs that hurt the album a bit, but the song is still great.

Mr. Usher (on His Way to Town) 5/5: yeah, so what? i think this is really effective. i like how warm casey was able to sing this, and the female vocals are perfect. the "down, down, down..." vocal part sinks him down to a G2 (not his lowest, but certainly his most confident low vocal part). 2:03 has that awesome triplet part ("if he has no use for you..." DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN DUN, "he'll take you to the river". Obviously, the throwback to the pimp and the priest from Act I is appreciated. The guitar part is modal heaven.

The Haves Have Naught (2.5/5): i like gavin castleton's voice, but i don't like the guest vocal being a part of the acts, and perhaps without the overlaying of the vocal parts would make this a better song. the melodies are quite good and the "looking for mercy in a merciless place" is a great melody/lyric.

Light 5/5: Glad casey kept this so simple. Not much to remark on here, but it is a beautiful song and admirably restrained.

Gloria 4.5/5: This song was a grower for me. Love the octave jump in the second verse (again, "ambiguity" and "weaponry" are difficult words to sing as high as he does, but he does it anyway and we love him for it). The guitar solo is a lot of fun, but is a little low on melodic power to be a hit. watching him do it live is a spectacle though! at 2:19, the simple bassline being the focal point and the "I am nothing but an infant wave/stuck in a savage ocean" is a perfect moment.

The Flame (Is Gone) (4.5/5): nick and nick (bass and drums) have a great ability to really lock in a rhythm, and this is a great example (as is the moon/awake and the fire remains). More "black vibes" here, and great chord progressions. Just a good song that becomes even better with the story. Casey's growth as a lyricist is again very evident here: "If you're stacking your problems like a pile of bricks, you've gotta knock down the wall/before someone like you breaks you and puts you in the ground!/Do the heavens ever spare the crop when the winter falls?/Could we really hide if the reaper calls?". please note casey is singing three octaves of the melody in the verses of this song... listen for that leathery low vocal take next time"

The Fire (Remains) 4.5/5.: i mentioned it already, but the drum/bass parts in the verses of this song are really historic. the instrumental in the middle of this song is really dark and lovely. again, plot -- listen to the dime burn at the end of the track, listen to the fire move to the church, and then as "the march" starts, listen to the priest's horror when he realizes what has happened

The March 6/5: Oh man. Callback to "smiling swine" in the intro, and the lyrical climax of probably the entire act story at this point. I never would've cared for people to listen for the storytelling, but because of this song, you should. this makes it all worth it. "Keep this secret safe or watch your flock devoured by the flame left in my wake/I'll burn through you" is chilling, and upsetting if you get what kind of double manipulation is going on. 1:03 callback to "the oracles" as well as the "bitter suite V" from Act IV. "And now the mimic is a cynic who laughs while the house of god is reduced to ash/well, I won't let corruption carry on", apart from being a great lyric, is one of Casey's best deliveries. "So raise your voices, torches, rocks and follow into the night!" is also delivered with appropriate gusto. The Devil's theme (king of swords/the most cursed of hands) comes back with a finality thematically that adds to the story and album's arc.

Blood 5/5: Really neat, and heartbreaking in many ways. Melodically stunning, and the coin flip of the "I'm a killer, but i've been killing myself all along" is great. 1:13 is an album highlight moment. The Hunter's murder of the Pimp is a work of art musically: "There's no passion in being passive/No inaction could bring an answer/so for you, I am a killer! and then the dark instrumental (the oracles theme is back here, used perfectly) that follows is again, an album highlight.

A Beginning 4/5: Companion piece to Ouroborous melodically, as well as City Escape from Act IV. A good song, without a doubt, and a good way to end. I suppose our character is dead, which lends to the emotion of the song. Callback to The Moon/Awake allows the "dear apparition" melody to succeed and wraps up the album nicely.

I thought Act IV would be their best, and I thought that as I first heard this album. Casey's dedication to the story at hand really pays off, and I think the hooks and arrangements in this album are his most mature.

eat it. i'm not sorry at all.

Album Rating: 4.4

I think it's "the spirit split in two" not "into", agreed with The Moon having some super Black instrumental parts to it



The March gives me chills for its part in the story, especially the way the P/P casually throws back to what happened at the end of Act 3 and makes Hunter look like the villain so effortlessly. fantastic way of tying together everything that's happened from the villain's perspective essentially as a series of mistakes he can now use as ammunition and doesn't feel fanservicey in the slightest

Album Rating: 5.0

Am I the only one who thinks Melpomene and The Haves Have Naught are 2 of the strongest. This has really clicked with me recently. a very easy 4.5

I agree. It feels like an earned moment, all the way back to Act I's opener. It's turned the Acts plot from an interesting aside if you care enough to research it, to a worthwhile endeavour. Very effective.

The spirit line is absolutely "two", I'm just very, very tired!!

Album Rating: 5.0

haves have naught is top 5 for me. best chorus on the album.

Album Rating: 4.5

The Haves Have Naught is definitely one of my faves from this album.

So embarrassing that this is like the #2 ranked of the year

Not really

This is some generic shit

Album Rating: 4.5

I'm fine with people hating this, but it certainly isn't generic

Yeah I've never heard these guys labeled as generic before. Over theatrical, disingenuous and overproduced indie/prog rock I've heard, and I think there is some basis for that (not that I agree), but not generic

Album Rating: 5.0

"This is some generic shit"



you gave Goodness a 5

I wouldnt say goodness is particularly generic either tbh, though I'd say probably more generic than TDH

Album Rating: 5.0

calling this generic is hilarious. show me some bands who sound like this.

Album Rating: 4.5

Yea guys so embarrassing that we have this generic album as the #2 ranked of the year instead of the album where every fucking song is written with a basic ass snare-on-two-and-four beat.

Album Rating: 4.0

multiple songs on this album have the snare on 2 and 4 and many of the best songs ever have the snare on 2 and 4 so shit reasoning there

Album Rating: 4.5

neither this nor Goodness are generic or deserve less than a 4.5

Album Rating: 3.5

I feel like Thrice is a decent point of comparison. I mean nothing on this is like alien music transmitted from space that no human has ever heard the likes of before so I guess I could see someone feeling this is generic but its kind of unfair still