Photo by Courtesy The Dear Hunter
If lead singer, multi-instrumentalist and one-man renaissance Casey Crescenzo's post-hardcore history kept your attention directed away from The Dear Hunter's previous releases, his newest album "Migrant" promises to turn your head, at the risk of breaking your neck. Boasting evolving arrangements of brass, backing vocals, strings and guitars of virtually every variety, "Migrant" can simultaneously remind listeners of complex contemporaries like Circa Survive, As Tall As Lions, The Mars Volta and even Colour Revolt, albeit with Crescenzo's naturally gritless voice, procured by way of pop.
One of the first releases not filtered through the lens of the band's "Color Spectrum" series or "Acts I-III" concept, "Migrant" slides itself loose from the tight, progressive rock edge that they shared with occasional collaborators Manchester Orchestra, but that never feels like a bad thing. Think of it as wiggle room rather than pure departure, as those elements are key in songs like the bonus track "Dig Your Own Grave" and "Girl"--affected drums, bluesy guitar riffs and all. However, The Dear Hunter heaves plenty of introspective moments into the driving distortion, pumping oxygen into an often-facile genre.
"Migrant" is nothing if not diverse. That is evident from track to track, of course, but also within a single song. The first track, "Bring You Down," opens with a tense and intensifying string section that would feel at home in a slasher film just before the audience screams, "He's right behind you!" That is, before it resolves with gentle, spacious piano and acoustic, which eventually yield to an energetic tempo change deserving of the involuntary foot tapping that it will likely produce. Though most songs on the release don't contain so stark a contrast, each offers clever components that clearly set it apart.
Sadly, the heights of Crescenzo's intricate arrangements make the lows feel especially less than stellar. While there is an implicit change of pace from more dynamic tracks like "Let Go" and "Whisper" to more standard, deliberate tracks, those slower songs tend to clump together with less consideration.
To be fair, nothing is fundamentally "bad" about the more sluggish material like "The Vicious Place" or "Don't Look Back." Alone, their effective characteristics suggest some very intentional, knowledgeable songwriting decisions, but placed as the "final word" on the album, they feel woefully forgettable.
While it represents an important move for The Dear Hunter, which spreads its feathers and shirks the concept album coating, several less memorable slow tracks peck conspicuous holes into "Migrant," a commendable, complicated album that proves itself far from flightless. Should The Dear Hunter stay that course, expect many more releases that push the boundaries of progressive rock.
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