Hadestown

In her ambitious folk opera Hadestown, singer/songwriter Anaïs Mitchell resets the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice in Anywhere, U.S.A., during a time of economic hardship. After the sudden death of his beloved Eurydice, Orpheus must venture into the underworld to rescue her, so it's only fitting that Mitchell cast the otherworldly falsetto of Bon Iver's Justin Vernon as the one who must sing songs so sad and beautiful that even Hades himself would weep. Mitchell herself takes on the role of the doomed Eurydice, joined by a sort of alt-folk all-star revue: Ani DiFranco's jazzy alto as Persephone, Greg Brown's gravelly growl as Hades, Low Anthem frontman Ben Knox Miller's melodic rasp as Hermes and the Haden triplets as the requisite Greek chorus. While Hadestown is best listened to from beginning to end, individual tunes like "Wedding Song" and "Wait For Me" are memorably moving on their own. Mitchell weaves her story through impressive variety of musical styles ranging from delicate traditional-style folk ballads to brassy, twangy swing. But even with so much going on both in the story and the arrangements, the songs are still very much Mitchell's own, and they mark her as a talent to watch.