ANTIMAI

Apparently this album has been cooking slowly since 2019 (remember pre-pandemic era?), so, what we have here is the mature product of a band who really took their time to round it.

The bright side of this music lies in a set of neat pop melodies delivered with great sensibility by a vocalist graced with a wide range and a very likable tonal color. The not-so-bright side comes to evidence when the minutes pass and the arrangements keep showing no notable variation or inventiveness: they are primarily based on minimalistic displacement of the rhythmic accent and frequently (more than desirable) underlined by a seemingly synthetized brass section.

As a personal favorite, I can mention track 4, Ring 5 - Middle Class. It's a delicious melody I suppose one could have found sounding in any mid-class kitchen during the mid-seventies. Think something like "Bachara meets XTC's psychedelia". Nevertheless, don't expect any highly skilful solo (guitar or whatever), nor a classic drums sound, because the dishes are nowhere to be found.

All in all, it's a good album crafted for not exceedingly high prog expectatives. This record can seat comfortably in your pop shelf (in case you have one), among the likes of XTC, Tears For Fears or Field Music.

THE DEAR HUNTER is the project of guitarist Casey of the post-hardcore group The Receiving End Of Sirens which he left to devote himself to it in 2005; stories about a boy's life at the turn of the 20th century, here 9th concept album about the life of the last metropolis at odds with the original values; XTC, THE MARS VOLTA, THE TRAIL OF DEAD or GENESIS come to mind but you have to listen and see before the EP 'The Indigo Child' to fully understand the melodic framework sought.

'Ring 8 - Poverty' on a bucolic air, sampled string instruments, I immediately think of the fruity chords of XTC and Joe JACKSON; sax and trumpets set the pace; we are in the enchanting pop prog new wave, a pleasant hint of TRAIN OF DEAD, convoluted and creative. 'Ring 7 - Industry' strong bass, the groovy, funky rhythm on an EARTH, WIND & FIRE overboosted with brass; Airy and symphonic break, grandiloquent before an energetic dancing bass solo. 'Ring 6 - LoTown' with a dreamlike, aerial start leading Casey to use his voice in a languorous way; it goes up, it goes on an astonishing fruity prog pop atmosphere, a mixture of MARS VOLTA and XTC again; break of the spleen intro with jerky drums and solo trumpet, explosive. 'Ring 5 - Middle Class' drives the point home with a title that will scare fans away; 3 minutes and it slows down and the prog spirit is highlighted with sampled wind instruments that create the energy; attention for fans of classic rock instrumentation, you will be surprised.

'Ring 4 - Patrol' brings me back to 'Cherchez Le Garçon' yes it's easy but it's to explain the playful rhythm; 80's keyboard that allows Casey to express all his vocal talent; cinematic drift before the resumption of the chorus, the aggressive and forward trumpet, final of BOF. 'Ring 3 - Luxury' longest title tote everything, present magister voice and frantic pop rhythm; the halfway break reminds me of DEVO's synth on the BOF 'Métal Hurlant'; diversity approaches bombastic baroque opera; first break with a claret guitar solo until the end flirting with the madness of a Zappa. 'Ring 2 ? Nature' with an oozing XTC sound for an unpretentious and fruity bucolic pop song; sax break on the 'Blues Brothers'. 'Ring 1 - Tower' jazzy, groovy, funky romantic ballad, giving pride of place to wind instruments that we would like to be true; the pleasant voice reminds me of Joe PAYNE's excellent album between baroque symphony and crazy operetta pop; final at the Alpenhorn.

THE DEAR HUNTER drives the nail of the progressive musical crucible by mixing instrumentation and voice, jazzy, funky and tonic atmospheres; a singular, creative sound arrangement that kicks ass at convention; often formatted in the neo prog style, I just had a blast listening to this OMNI jewel. Available in vinyl, K7 and other normal media for that convoluted sound, a band and a sound apart.

The Dear Hunter started out as a solo project of songwriter-multi-instrumentalist-vocalist Casey Crescenzo, releasing their first album, Act 1: The Lake South, River North, in 2006, which then grew into a full progressive rock band in subsequent albums, chronicling a continuing story in the Act Series of albums (so far, 5 albums over a ten year period). There have also been other musical projects and EPs in between those albums. Their latest album, Antimai, is separate from those previous works, and I was pleasantly surprised at how fun this new album is. It is predominantly lively, upbeat, and quite accessible. They incorporate much soul, R&B, latin, pop, jazz, and rock into the mix, with liberal use of funky horns and tuned percussion, yet the result is still undeniably prog rock. This is a concept album that chronicles a world where society is set-up in concentric rings, with the outer rings occupied by the poor and industrial sectors moving inward to the more luxurious and powerful inner rings. The album consists of 8 tracks, each corresponding to one of the rings and highlighting features of that sector. But you don't need to know or care about the concept or story to enjoy the album, as it is quite wonderful from start to finish. One of the best and longer tracks, Ring 5 - Middle Class, features multiple sections, starting with a catchy pop opening, a slower middle section, then a jazz-funk Steely Dan-esque closing section. Ring 4 - Patrol, is somewhat reminiscent of the Alan Parsons Project with its a funky beat and cool pop style. Ring 3 - Luxury starts off with some clever Hamilton-style rap vocals before leading into subsequent sections. Casey Crescenzo's vocals are very enjoyable, and quite versatile, working well in a variety of styles and moods. The album flows well and all the tracks are very well done, featuring a variety of vibrant styles, dynamics, and instrumentation, in addition to very fine vocals. One minor complaint is that it ends a bit weakly, as I was expecting a buildup to a big finish, but the album ends rather meekly and abruptly, without any real conclusion. Overall, this is a wonderful, very enjoyable album, one of the best of 2022. Best tracks: Ring 8 - Poverty, Ring 5 - Middle Class, Ring 4 - Patrol, Ring 3 - Luxury. Weak tracks:none. 4.5