Review Summary: A picturesque gold mine of fantastic songwriting.
Everything was lined up for me to hate this album's guts. It's nearly 80 minutes, the lyrics are admittedly not top notch, and it's the second part of a six-act series of albums all written on the same topic. That topic? How much a young tortured man hates prostitutes (I know Act III has nothing to do with prostitutes but just bear with me). Certain aspects of this album still frustrate me, like how much of a chore it can be to listen to or how overindulgent it can get at times. But what angers me most is that it all works.
The Dear Hunter's Act II is one of the best albums I've heard in a long time. Casey Crescenzo shows a natural gift for making quality tunes and throws one beautiful work of art after another into the listener's speakers. Stylistically the songs can go almost anywhere, ranging from soaring progressive epics ("The Lake And The River", both parts of "The Bitter Suite") to melodic, accessible beauty ("Smiling Swine", "Evicted"). The Dear Hunter can also make excellent use of strings such as in the overture track "The Death And The Berth" whose main motif is revisited many times throughout the album. An occasional technical edge is added to songs, such as the polyrhythmic section of "The Procession". All of the musicians are extremely competent, particularly guitarist Erick Serna who can bust out an extremely impressive riff, but also knows how to find his way into the listener's heart. Keyboardist Luke Dent adds cascading sonic layers to the musical backdrop. For proof of how great the keys on this record are, take a listen to blissful melodies on "The Lake And The River" and "Vital Vessel Vindicates" or the rhythmic jive of "Smiling Swine". Luke's brother Sam handles percussion duties on the album, and for the most part is a solid addition to the band. While he never really comes out of his shell, his drums are crisp and solid and add an entire new texture to the music on Act II. In the end however, vocalist/guitarist Casey Crescenzo steals the show with his fantastic range and brilliant songwriting. His triumphant cries of "one life for another" on "The Procession" are just the beginning of what he will offer the listener over the next hour, and he is not afraid to explore his vocal range and try new things. He is also a very communicative singer, specifically on the more heartfelt cuts "Red Hands" and "Black Sandy Beaches". Casey also shows an immaculate ear for harmonic tones. Even if this album only had the fantastic multi-tracked vocals on "Red Hands" as the only example for this, it would still be something commendable. But no, it gets better. The magnificent ending of "Where The Road Parts" and barbershop-esque harmonies of "Evicted" showcase a gifted songwriter in top form. The fact that "Evicted" is in 5/4 time only makes the harmony vocals more groovy and infectious. Musically, this record is near flawless and capable of getting the listener in a very emotional state. The band as a whole is not afraid to explore new areas of their sound and I give them heaps of credit for this as a result.
Lyrically, the album can sometimes stumble. Certain songs on this record are astonishing in this aspect. "The Lake And The River" and "Where The Road Parts" are filled to the brim with intelligent metaphors and clever turns of phrase that really stay and simmer in my brain for a few hours after I've given this a listen. Lines like "Fatal fascination breeds a bloom of misery" show Casey's true knack for lyricism if he really gives it his all. However, there are also tracks like "The Bitter Suite III: Embrace". While musically stunning (it probably has the best chorus on the album and never tires out over an 8-minute runtime) when reading the lyrics it can sound spectacularly cheesy. "Darkness, hesitation, I fell into her arms" has just always rubbed me the wrong way, but the line "Breathe in, this is amazing/Breathe out, this is amazing" can just spoil this song for me if I'm not in the right mood. The lyrics are somewhat strengthened by Crescenzo's stellar vocals, but on their own nearly half the songs don't have a leg to stand on.
If I have one gripe with the album, it's that it's overlong. A track like "Vital Vessel Vindicates" seems fresh and inviting during the first half, but by the second the listener will just be looking at their watch. Ironically, "Blood Of The Rose" is one of the shortest tracks here but overstays its welcome most. This might be because it doesn't have a point B like most songs do. It kind of just does the same thing for four minutes, and the quality suffers as a result.
Like most concept albums, "Act II" has a true cinematic quality to it. Listening to this album in its entirety is akin to watching your life flash before your eyes, which is also why I think it's awesome that this album falls just short of a 5 for me. No one's life will ever actually be completely perfect, which is something that this album represents really well. We all do some really stupid sh*t every once in a while ("Red Hands") or maybe we just feel empty ("The Lake And The River"). Every song on here represents some life experience that is bound to occur with every human being, which is what makes this album so relatable and good. If it didn't connect so well, it would probably just be a solid rock album with some hit and miss lyrics. However, due to the warm instrumentals and absolutely beautiful vocals, Act II is the closest music gets to a film.
4.8/5.
Recommended Tracks (asterisk signifies my personal favorite):
The Procession
The Lake And The River*
The Church And The Dime
Evicted
Red Hands
Where The Road Parts
Black Sandy Beaches
