LogFAQs > #970206043

CJones posted...

I'm really liking what I'm hearing of The Dear Hunter (clever name). Never heard of them before this. Not as heavy as the sort of stuff I usually listen to. Have any particular album you would recommend getting first?

I would definitely point you to one of the Act albums, specifically one of the first four. Act V (the one all the TDH songs in this particular ranking are coming from) is fantastic as well, but it's the only one that I think loses a little bit of impact if you're not familiar with and invested in the overarching story that the albums are telling (not to mention all the reprises and references). I'd also probably caution against Act I because it's noticeably more raw and unrefined compared to the rest of the band's catalogue. Still some great stuff on there but I don't think it's nearly as representative of what their sound would become. So that leaves the options with II, III, and IV.

Act II sounds like it'd be a decent option for you, because it's neck and neck with Act III as the heaviest offering but also, I think, considerably more proggy than III, which will probably be a good combo for someone who's nominated songs from Caligula's Horse and Devin Townsend. I'd call this one raw as well, but in a completely different way - Casey Crescenzo wrote the story of this one while dealing with some bitter feelings toward a breakup, and that's become a significant source of embarrassment for him in the years since. Fans love it for that, though, because there's a pervasive feeling of anger and pettiness that comes through in the vocals and composition that makes complete sense for where the story's main character is at this point in the narrative.

Act III itself is an interesting one because it's the only Act telling a story that could be largely self contained, where the main character is fighting in World War 1. I have extensive thoughts on some of the album's themes and how TDH does a war tale better than most any other fiction I've encountered, but this isn't the place for those sorts of musings. Suffice it to say that I think this is the album where Casey's creative vision for the Acts really started to shine through. Like Act II, this one has some of the band's heaviest offerings interspersed with some of its most beautiful soliloquies, just without that intentional feeling of childishness since the subject matter is much more mature. More notably, though, he's starting to throw in some more experimental pieces as well, with... Mixed results - Go Get Your Gun is one of the least popular TDH songs, for example (even as far as Casey himself is concerned), even though I still enjoy it for what it is.

Then we get to Act IV, which as Raetsel mentioned is very often recommended as an entry point. It was my first real exposure to the band - I listened to A Night on the Town after the album art popped up in a ranking on this very board, as a matter of fact, and the album came out very soon after. And obviously I loved it so much that now I'm making walls of text about the band myself. To this day, it's the most consistent thing they've put out, which is saying something because it's been a long time since they made a song I've actively disliked. The production has taken a huge step up, they've started throwing in lots of orchestral elements, and Casey's gotten to a point with his writing where he can just do whatever he wants and make it great. There's an honest-to-God disco tribute song on Act IV, and it rocks. Casey himself recommends this as an entry point to the band (or at least did at one point, and I have a personal suspicion this is still the album he's most proud of), so that's an extra point in its favor.

I'm gonna cut myself off now before I ramble even more; sorry for going so wild. Here's the TL;DR: I'd point you to either Act IV or Act II, but you can't go wrong with Act III either.

Hope that helps. And as you can see, I don't mind answering more questions on the band if you have any.