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PO: The Dear Hunter - Act I-III (Gold Vinyl, B&W Art)


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1 minute ago, V3XED said:

Is that really a hot take?

Around these parts it sure seems to be.  A lot of people seem to think they kept steam well past Act III, but I noticed a considerable decline with Act IV and onward.  They’re not unlistenable – and have some really great moments, especially from what I’ve caught live – but start to finish, the albums feel nowhere near as cohesive or memorable as I-III.  I feel like a lot of fans here on VC would disagree for the longest time there.

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6 minutes ago, Derek™ said:

Around these parts it sure seems to be.  A lot of people seem to think they kept steam well past Act III, but I noticed a considerable decline with Act IV and onward.  They’re not unlistenable – and have some really great moments, especially from what I’ve caught live – but start to finish, the albums feel nowhere near as cohesive or memorable as I-III.  I feel like a lot of fans here on VC would disagree for the longest time there.

I have sealed copies of Acts IV and V because I listened to the stream and didn’t like them... So have those for sale too w/ Migrant. Lol. 

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7 hours ago, batman said:

I have a copy I’d sell

Thanks, but I’ve been mainly waiting for a repress because the secondary market for it has gone up quite significantly. 

4 hours ago, Derek™ said:

Migrant is where I really learned my lesson.

I’m curious what you don’t like about this record. Is it how you compare Migrant to the quality of Acts I-III or because of the basic nature of it? 
 

I can see how musically and thematically Migrant pales in comparison to the Acts, but I’ve never thought it was an outright bad record. I love it as a background summer album.

Edited by dapeebs
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1 minute ago, dapeebs said:

background [...] album.

Bingo.  Migrant is an album that I listened to in full and immediately thought huh.  I wish I could remember a single thing about that record.  Nothing remotely grabbed me or left a lasting impression, which was certainly not the case for I-III.  I don't listen to TDH all that much these days, but I can still think of countless melodies, lyrics, hooks, and choruses off the initial trilogy.  The staying power is immense.

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39 minutes ago, Derek™ said:

Bingo.  Migrant is an album that I listened to in full and immediately thought huh.  I wish I could remember a single thing about that record.  Nothing remotely grabbed me or left a lasting impression, which was certainly not the case for I-III.  I don't listen to TDH all that much these days, but I can still think of countless melodies, lyrics, hooks, and choruses off the initial trilogy.  The staying power is immense.

I think my appreciation for Migrant stems from how I take in music. I love being able to sit down with a great album, listen to it in full with accompanying lyrics, and just solely focus on the music. However, that probably only accounts for 10% of my listening habits. I have a ridiculously short attention span, and am usually doing something else while I listen to music (driving, working, web browsing, etc). So the majority of what i listen to is easily digestible, less nuanced music. Which is why I think albums like Migrant appeal to me more.
 

 The great  albums with vast soundscapes and incredible songwriting  don’t usually click with me unless i sit down and take them all in without any distractions. 
 

In truth, I’ve only done what I described above with Act I. Acts II and III I thoroughly enjoy, but have yet to give them that deep listen.

Edited by dapeebs
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On 5/20/2020 at 7:48 PM, Derek™ said:

Around these parts it sure seems to be.  A lot of people seem to think they kept steam well past Act III, but I noticed a considerable decline with Act IV and onward.  They’re not unlistenable – and have some really great moments, especially from what I’ve caught live – but start to finish, the albums feel nowhere near as cohesive or memorable as I-III.  I feel like a lot of fans here on VC would disagree for the longest time there.

I think Act IV is stronger than Act III, but V definitely suffers from story telling fatigue and what seems like trying to finish the story rather than making a great record.  There are great moments on it, but the pacing suffers and as a musical album is takes a backseat to the storytelling.

 

Act I & II were the best blend of awesome songs and creating a world with storytelling.  Act III, for me, suffers the same fate as Act V.

 

I think it’s weird as hell these are all black and white.  TCR said something like “we only had CD art for I and II, they’ve never been LPs” but that still isn’t a good excuse for marketing them as the original artwork when it’s not the original artwork.

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Random memories about TDH: 

 

2005 = TREOS is huge. Casey leaves and although Earth Sings Mi Fa Mi in 2007 was OK, it just wasn't same without him and his arrangements. Anyways, so 2007 rolls around and there's this buzz about Casey's new band. At the time, I'm at  friends who is essentially 'music supplier'. I didn't have a laptop or internet, but could watch the FUSE channel and wirte down bands/songs in a spiral notebook next to my bed to give to him to download, burn to a CD and mail to me (what a time to be alive!)  So I'm perusing the ZUNE music library (the above mentioned friend had a ZUNE and access to the online marketplace) and I stumble upon Act 1. Instantly I'm a fan and the rest is history. 

 

On 5/26/2020 at 8:11 PM, highfives said:

I think Act IV is stronger than Act III, but V definitely suffers from story telling fatigue and what seems like trying to finish the story rather than making a great record.  There are great moments on it, but the pacing suffers and as a musical album is takes a backseat to the storytelling. Act I & II were the best blend of awesome songs and creating a world with storytelling.  Act III, for me, suffers the same fate as Act V.

I agree with this a lot. Act 1 was musically amazing, fresh and interesting. Act 2 just went all out and included some really great storytelling to balance everything. Act 3 was hodgepodge and forgettable. Act 4 came back with a vengeance and still has one of my Top 5 TDH songs on it: Waves. Act V had it's moments, but I feel like the choice to have "Moon / Awake" as the albums opener of sorts, was poor choice and really ruined the sequencing for me. That song would've KILLED as a closer, and although "Beginnings" does it's best to do a call back to it, it's just not with the same energy. Imagine that as grand finale and then the applause to close it out...

Edited by ethanpricington
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  • 4 weeks later...

i only checked in on VC every now and again so apologies for bumping this thread.

the B&W art with gold vinyl looks sharp as fuck as long as it's actually opaque gold and not clear piss yellow. i wouldn't expect any less than the former from triple crown, but damn.

 

my takes that are probably hot:

  • act I is... not very good at all! at least compared to everything that came after it. extremely boring/dull to me. how can anyone listen to act I and think, yeah, this is definitely as dynamic (not to mention as well-produced) as all the later stuff? it's an absolute drag.
  • act II is better! i'm glad i didn't quit after act I because act II is dope. some no-doubt all-timers on that one. but it still has its moments where it drags.
  • casey hits his stride with act III. i have no idea how ethan (above) or anyone can find this album forgettable when it fuckin rips.
  • act IV is... also not very good at all. except "a night on the town," which is unreal how good it is. everything else on the album pales in comparison. i didn't like migrant, though, and the two were written back-to-back, so i chalk it up to casey taking a different route (that i did not enjoy).
  • i hated act V at first... but it grew into one of my favorites. and after listening to it hundreds of times i don't know how i didn't like it at first. but i think that first impression might be what deters folks like derek, too. but "the most cursed of hands," "mr. usher", "the march" – pretty easy top-10 all-time for me.
    • i agree with ethan that "beginnings" is a woefully weak closer and was such a bummer to know it ends on that note (TBD).
  • so........ act III > act V (open to switching them) > act II >>>>>>>>> act I > act IV. also open to switching I and IV, dgaf, barely listen to them.
  • to reiterate: migrant is also also also not very good

light me up, fellas

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  • 1 month later...
  • 2 weeks later...
16 minutes ago, Corgipants said:

Has anybody gotten them yet? Mine have been sitting at accepted since the 6th. I know there are postal delays but this seems obnoxiously long. 

Mine are with yours. Just chilling in Batavia. 🤷 Just hope they aren't fucked up. I've seen both ends. Record living in Chicago for a month- looked better than buying in store, in person. Record lived in LA for a month and was wrecked. 

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Just now, Fowty Dollaz said:

Mine are with yours. Just chilling in Batavia. 🤷 Just hope they aren't fucked up. I've seen both ends. Record living in Chicago for a month- looked better than buying in store, in person. Record lived in LA for a month and was wrecked. 

Having lived there briefly, that says alot about LA

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