Anaïs Mitchell - Hadestown

Before this afternoon, I had never heard of Anaïs Mitchell. This evening, I couldn't be more excited that I have. Hadestown is to Anaïs Mitchell as The Hazards Of Love is to The Decemberists. It's a "folk opera", featuring several prominent artists playing the roles of the various characters.

The album follows a variation on the Ancient Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, where Orpheus must embark on a quest to rescue his wife Eurydice from the underworld. The important difference here, however, is that the story of Orpheus takes place in a present-day post-Apocalyptic United States. In relation to the story, the part of Orpheus is played by Vernon, Persephone by DiFranco, Hades by Greg Brown and Mitchell herself plays Eurydice. The music ranges from quiet folk to loud, rambling almost ragtime compositions. I can't even begin to describe how incredible this album is, nor how impressed I am with the collection of collaborators that all work so well together. This album is an absolute must for anyone who has even a passing appreciation for folk music.

Tracklisting:
1. Wedding Song
2. Epic (Part I)
3. Way Down Hadestown
4. Songbird Intro
5. Hey, Little Songbird
6. Gone, I'm Gone
7. When The Chips Are Down
8. Wait For Me
9. Why We Build The Wall
10. Our Lady Of The Underground
11. Flowers (Eurydice's Song)
12. Nothing Changes
13. If It's True
14. Papers (Hades Finds Out)
15. How Long?
16. Epic (Part II)
17. Lover's Desire
18. His Kiss, The Riot
19. Doubt Comes In
20. I Raise My Cup To Him