They're are all different types of mediums for telling a story. Obviously the written word and acting stand out, but there this also exists in music as well in the form of a concept album.
After being impressed with their live show last week, I picked up a copy of the debut album from The Dear Hunter. The band plans to set up a six-arc story telling the tale of the "The Dear Hunter" or "The Boy."
Before I picked up this album, the only other band I knew of of that was working a series of albums telling a story was Coheed and Cambria. I am a big fan of Coheed, but don't really know much of the story being told in there songs.
This is different so how. In the first album, Act 1: The Lake South and the River North, The Dear Hunter tells the story of the birth of the boy to his mother, a prostitute named Ms. Terri (Ms. Terri = Mystery. Witty, I know.)
Maybe it's because front man Casey Crescenzo used to be part of one of favorite bands in The Receiving End of Sirens, maybe because I miss that band terribly and The Dear Hunter embodies many of the same sounds as the band, but I'm really digging this band.
I'm looking up lyrics to each song, trying to get a feel for what the story is about this boy known as The Dear Hunter, something I never did for Coheed.
As for the type of music, it's very hard to describe as anything but 'experimental electronic progressive alternative rock.' To give you an example, during the show, the band played with three keyboards, sang one song totally acapella, another with just a banjo and a little drum work with a band of six members playing at once.
This a band that needs to be experienced in order to truly get a notion of just what they are.
Check out one of my favorites off the album - 1878.
Another quality song - The Pimp and the Priest.
If your into new types of music, layered locals, great lyrics, simple, yet smart technical rock, give The Dear Hunter a shot. I promise that you will not be disappointed.
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Yeah I totally saw the Dear Hunter earlier this year when they opened for MeWithoutYou (I went for Dear Hunter). They were gnarly as hell. The live performance really captured what they seemed to be going for in their albums, granted I am not too thoroughly versed with their albums. The show was heavy, loud, and rad. Linking to your most recent post, live music is awesome. Nuances the band wished came out more definitively in their studio takes come out more clearly in the live renditions, plus the unpredictability of a band adds to the suspense.
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't rely on the radio to find out what music is playing. Go to the internet. I actually made a post the other day about this topic with some helpful comments from Barbara to help guide the quest for upcoming live music. www.opinyinz.blogspot.com
re Lukas's comment: This is unrelated to this post overall, but I saw MeWithoutYou two years ago when they opened for Brand New in Pittsburgh (lolol...oh, the follies of youth), and they...were awful. I mean, they were fun live, but listening to their studio albums kind of feels like I'm going deaf. Or at least I hope I am. Maybe I'm just being harsh, but they're one of those bands that tries to sound experimental without achieving anything but noise. Whatever, tangent.
ReplyDeleteThis comment is actually going to be almost completely unrelated to anything. Anyway. A few months ago, I was feeling complacent with my music library, and I went seeking new music. One band I found was Deerhunter, only because I've heard the name thrown around among my hipster d-bag friends. I only have Microcastle by them, but from that album, they're a really eclectic, ambient indie band. But every now and then, I can't help but wonder if they were talking about the Dear Hunters and not Deerhunter.
Other miscellaneous, unrelated note: the Dear Hunters opened for As Tall As Lions two (?) years ago, and ATAL is probably my favorite band (if only because they're from Long Island and hold a sickly sentimental place in my heart). Check 'em out if you feel like it (http://www.myspace.com/astallaslions)
I had heard about this band Deerhunter through the interwebs and checked them out. Can't say I was a fan, but the Dear Hunter is growing on me like a tumor.
ReplyDeletePlus I was devastated about the TREOS break up and this is a nice second.