Review Summary: A modern rock opera tapping into different genres to create a mix of beauty, storytelling, and creativity.
I always get some kind of Déj* vu when I hear “Ex-TREOS” member.
The Receiving End of Sirens had enough members to have their own NBA team, but that’s beside the point. While I think TREOS in itself is a good band,
The Dear Hunter shows they could have been much, much more. This review has taken me a few days to write, and over the course of it, I have realized many things about this album you might not if you give it just a brief listen. Notably, this is extraordinary.
This is a mix of energy, beauty, passion, and craftsmanship. What started as a one man side project of Casey, evolved into a full time touring act. The second full length, recorded with Luke Dent of the split band ‘Faraway’, Erick Serna, Luke’s brother Sam Serna on drums, and Ericks long-time friend Josh Rheault to play bass. The CD is perfectly gapless, and is the second of six acts in a story created by Casey. The story fits seamlessly with the music, and that is part of the reason this “Rock Opera” is so unique.
To fully understand the scope and beauty of this album, we must take a step back to the story of the album itself. If you do not wish to read all this, simply skip past the next section.
The “Act II” you see means it is the second act of a six part story. In each CD is an act, and each adds to the story of a young boy, referred to only as “The Dear Hunter”. The story follows the boy’s life, from his birth to his untimely and unfortunate death. I can kill two birds with one stone by going over each track. Each song is so finely twined with the story, that if you sit and listen, you can see the whole story unfolding in your mind.
ACT ONE: This CD gives the first part of the story, and without it, the second act won’t make sense. In a nutshell, the boy is born to a prostitute mother, “Ms. Terri”. She is severely beaten and escapes the city to “The Lake and the River”. Years pass as she raises the boy, and you find out that his father is unknown, a product of Ms. Terri’s poor choice in jobs. Now, we can move on to the songs in Act II.
“The Death and the Berth” – A nice little instrumental track. It’s almost cinematic. Horns, cymbals, violin, the works. Story wise, it signifies Ms. Terri has passed away.
? / 5
“The Procession” – Picks up right away to a very fast and upbeat track with some cool electronic effects, and it shows off their unique sound. It switches genres fairly fast, and you can’t help but appreciate their appreciation of music, by showing off all their different sounds. Here, Casey is also introduced on vocals. The song is very well done, and ends spontaneously with tribal drums. In the story, the boy has heard about his mother’s death and watches the funeral. He starts to head home, but instead passes it.
5 / 5
“The Lake and the River” – Starts off with an interesting rhythm of uncommon instruments. The song is also very cinematic. There are many backing vocals in a choir-like fashion, and the song flows excellently between different moods. Some of the aggression of TREOS songs starts to come through, but the band proves they can really stand out here. It is a very long song, but they don’t abuse the length. In the story, the boy decides to learn more of his mothers past, and steals a train ticket to the city, mentioned in act one.
5 / 5
“The Oracles on the Delphi Express” – Has a nice jazzy upbeat feel the whole time. The singer uses his voice very effectively, as he layers it just right to sound like he’s a choir. This fits perfectly, as the song is the “oracles” on the train telling the boy his future is grim if he goes to the city. It ends up sounding like a group of people are talking to him. “Stick with us, throw your morals out the door / You aren't in the land of the river and the lake no more / Makeshift schemes, we've got plenty here for you / Lock away your dreams and throw away the key.
4/5
“The Church and the Dime” – The boy has arrived in the city, and everything is not what it seems. The church doubles as a brothel! Musically, this is a good song, but doesn’t stand out as much. Driven strongly by piano and drums, an interesting feature of the song is the line, “Faster, save me. Harder, I can’t…” which is the same line as the song “Pimp and the Priest” from act one. This is a great example how connected the story and music are, as “Pimp and the Priest” is set in the same brothel / holy place of worship. Dandy.
3 / 5
“The Bitter Suite I and II: Meeting Ms. Leading and Through the Dime” – This song is a fairly straightforward ballad, building up to an anticlimactic halt, then bursting out into a high energy section you’ve come to expect this far into the album. Even though the songs have similar jazzy upbeat parts, you won’t be disappointed with how they always seem to deliver. The boy steps out of the train and meets a deceptively pretty girl named “Ms. Leading” (Clever, no?) This song shows off a good feature of the story to music connection, as Ms. Leading flirts with the boy and leads him to her “room” in the Dime. The dime is the brothel part of the “Church and Dime” by night. As she leads him, to his excitement, the music picks up. If you learn the story, you will notice the interconnectedness of it all time and time again.
3.5 / 5
“The Bitter Suite III: Embrace”: A very ballad-y song. Definitely not a highlight song, as the backing vocals in it can take away from the sound. The story in this one is pretty simple. They copulate. If you are unaware what this word means, go get a dictionary, because I’m not sure how much I can get away with in a review.
3 / 5
“Smiling Swine”: My favorite song on this album. Very upbeat and has a great groove to it. The vocals here really stand out, for example, there most of the song has an ambient chorus in the back ground giving acapella beat and rhythm. There is also what I can only describe as “Dueling vocals”, where the singers voice is overlapping vocal lines with himself. Great stand out song. The story is the boy leaves, and realizes he is in love with the woman, Ms. Leading.
5 / 5
“Evicted”: Another of my favorite songs. What starts as a piano ballad picks up into a high energy fun song. Ms. Leading realizes she is in love with the boy as the happiness and mood of the song also picks up. Even by this song, the incredible difference of this band from others will still have you hooked. They’re not a one trick horse.
5 / 5
“Blood of the Rose”: This song is primarily driven by strings. This is an excellent change of pace in music, even when the band is so unique. There is no fancy guitar, drums, or bass. Just strings, vocals, and some horns. They use simplicity much to their advantage. It’s not forced or awkward sounding, it just fits. This song shows the boy in love with the girl, so he sneaks back into the dime to see her when… Tragedy strikes!
4.5 / 5
“Red Hands”: The boy catches Ms. Leading with another man! Great vibe through this song. It definitely conveys the rushing emotions with someone’s first heartbreak. The man is a superb lyricist with one flaw. He likes to abuse big words that the average listener might not understand first time around. Like the Thesaurus addicted diploma exam writer, sometimes words seem forced. But apart from that flaw, he is a wondrous writer.
“Was it bitter when you tossed and turned
on an undercover mattress?
Did it feel so good? Hope it felt so good.
Don't know what I'd do if you lost sleep over little old me.
He's so much better.
They're all much better.
Take off your sweater, your shoes, and your shirt, and get to work.”
3.5 / 5
“Where the Road Parts”: This song is somewhat slower, but keeps many of the dynamics you’ve come to expect, like choirs, strings, and piano. This is a powerful song on the CD, describing how Ms. Leading writes to the boy, trying to convince him to meet her where they first met. He decides not to show. The song really conveys the frustration felt by Ms. Leading, and in that, illustrates the magic behind this album.
4 / 5
“Dear Ms. Leading”: Here is another letter from Ms. Leading trying to explain to the Boy that she loves him. They write letters back and forth, and the music seems to change between the letters, a great dynamic. The singing changes with what he’s trying to convey, for example, the boy is singing with an arrogant sort of feel as he is shunning her, and Ms. Leading is singing with a sort of plea. The song is an excellent, with nice little things like violin parts to spice it up and keep up the expectations for what sounds they will dapple into next.
4 / 5
“Black Sandy Beaches”: Somehow, the letters shared between the characters have reached the Lake and the River, where a narrator reads them. This shows how deep this story can go. It ties up loose ends and describes the story through an outside character’s eyes.
Oh how she cries from vicarious love from the one he writes about
She must have been so glad for him to throw it out
Further steps lead to yet another broken bottle
Again the words contained have bled the page
Whose tears were these which ran the ink
From who they'd pour to make this streak?
This song is another slow one, but goes through all the genre switches and crescendo’s you’d expect. A great way to start the beginning of the end.
4 / 5
“Vital Vessel Vindicates”: The song keeps a steady piano beat through the whole thing, rising and falling as you’d expect a CD like this to end. The song is especially notable for the end; a long orchestra piece. It makes you wonder how much experience this man has with music. It’s quite surprising what happens when you think all this existed in one mans head. After the orchestral part, a small piano bridge which fades into the sounds of the sea and a final boarding call for a ship. The boy realizes he has no further need for the city, having learned all he needed to, and having hurt for his efforts. He decides to leave. The final lyrics can give you flashbacks to earlier parts of the songs, which to the boy, are earlier memories from Act I. A clever detail, and it adds depth to the album concept. Another example of how excellently crafter this album is.
Sing softly sing me to the lake – Ending from “Pimp and the Priest”
Sing softly bring me to the lake – Ending from “Pimp and the Priest”
Through all of this I've felt just the same
The flame is gone the fire remains – Ending from “Battesimo del Fuoco”
5 / 5
Welcome back, impatient readers! From here, I will finish with some details to round this off.
There are CD’s that you just put in because they sound nice. There are CD’s that are great for the car, great for parties, great to just listen to. But there are also CD’s that take you somewhere totally different, and this album is like a fantasy novel that takes you into a totally different world. You can read the lyrics if you wish, find the story on the internet. There is even a novel coming out that’s based off this album. All I ask is that you take this CD for what it is, a journey. Through sound, dynamics, music, life, emotion, and beauty. This band, most importantly Casey has taken music and sound, and weaved it into a story. A story that makes you feel. And what else can you ask for in music but something that makes you feel every ounce of passion that went into it?
