Home
Act III: Life and Death
Barnes and Noble
Act III: Life and Death
Current price: $35.99
Barnes and Noble
Act III: Life and Death
Current price: $35.99
Size: OS
*Product information may vary - to confirm product availability, pricing, shipping and return information please contact Barnes and Noble
When the subject of concept albums comes up, rock historians tend to think of the 1970s and '80s.
Pink Floyd
's
The Wall
,
the Who
Quadrophenia
, and
Elton John
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
are often cited as great concept albums of the '70s, and
Queensryche
Operation: Mindcrime
from 1988 is widely regarded as the ultimate power metal concept album. But concept albums didn't disappear when alternative rock became rock's primary direction in the early '90s.
Green Day
American Idiot
(2004) and
Radiohead
OK Computer
(1997) are well-known alternative rock concept albums, and the concept album approach is alive and well on
the Dear Hunter
's 2009 release
Act III: Life and Death
. This CD is the third of a series of
Dear Hunter
albums focusing on a character called "The Boy"; in
Act III
, The Boy is now a man, and the songs describe his struggles in life. Some concept albums have become a victim of their own ambition; they had great intentions but were damaged by their lofty excesses. Thankfully, that doesn't happen on
, which finds lead singer
Casey Crescenzo
's ambition paying off handsomely. Successful concept albums work well as a cohesive whole but also have great songs that stand on their own, and that holds true on
. It's best to listen to this CD from start to finish in one sitting in order to get the concept album experience, but even if one isn't big on concept albums, tracks like
"Life and Death,"
"The Poison Woman,"
and
"Go Get Your Gun"
have no problem standing on their own.
Crescenzo
brings a wide variety of influences to this disc, ranging from
Coldplay
to
Queen
the Beach Boys
the Beatles
; the result is an engaging alternative pop/rock effort that has a strong awareness of classic rock but without sounding overtly nostalgic.
's willingness to turn to different rock eras for creative inspiration yields excellent results on
. ~ Alex Henderson
Pink Floyd
's
The Wall
,
the Who
Quadrophenia
, and
Elton John
Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
are often cited as great concept albums of the '70s, and
Queensryche
Operation: Mindcrime
from 1988 is widely regarded as the ultimate power metal concept album. But concept albums didn't disappear when alternative rock became rock's primary direction in the early '90s.
Green Day
American Idiot
(2004) and
Radiohead
OK Computer
(1997) are well-known alternative rock concept albums, and the concept album approach is alive and well on
the Dear Hunter
's 2009 release
Act III: Life and Death
. This CD is the third of a series of
Dear Hunter
albums focusing on a character called "The Boy"; in
Act III
, The Boy is now a man, and the songs describe his struggles in life. Some concept albums have become a victim of their own ambition; they had great intentions but were damaged by their lofty excesses. Thankfully, that doesn't happen on
, which finds lead singer
Casey Crescenzo
's ambition paying off handsomely. Successful concept albums work well as a cohesive whole but also have great songs that stand on their own, and that holds true on
. It's best to listen to this CD from start to finish in one sitting in order to get the concept album experience, but even if one isn't big on concept albums, tracks like
"Life and Death,"
"The Poison Woman,"
and
"Go Get Your Gun"
have no problem standing on their own.
Crescenzo
brings a wide variety of influences to this disc, ranging from
Coldplay
to
Queen
the Beach Boys
the Beatles
; the result is an engaging alternative pop/rock effort that has a strong awareness of classic rock but without sounding overtly nostalgic.
's willingness to turn to different rock eras for creative inspiration yields excellent results on
. ~ Alex Henderson