The Secret City : Self Titled

By RingMaster Review on May 12, 2012 • ( 0 )

The bio for Australian band The Secret City states ‘they create dreamlike adventures that will take you to places of sweet serenity, or throw you into the pit of a nasty nightmare. You will be entertained, shocked, inspired and awed by this original and unapologetic band.’ To be honest it is hard to be any more accurate than that. Most bios and info sheets accompanying releases over play and exaggerate to varying degrees and they would not be doing their job if they did not, but in this case the words are right on the mark. The self titled album from the Sydney trio wraps itself around the senses and thoughts with cloaks of mesmeric charm, a provocative strength, and at times with a challenging intrusion but it is an experience from first note to last which engages every aspect of a person to bring forth imagery, emotions, and as they claim a sense of adventure.

Vocalist Rusty Lynch and guitarist Brendan Morello have collaborated as songwriters for over a decade but it was say the band, with the addition of keyboardist Alex “Ted” Cape that The Secret City found its true unity. Their time together again from their own words says it has been ten years of writing songs, the forming of five different bands which one presumes means line-up wise, and the release of four EPs and two albums plus a continual multitude of gigs. This has brought an evolution within the band and to their craft accumulating in this their third album and a release which is they say superior in every aspect to what came before. Never having come across the band before we have to take their word on that but the fact that this release is so impressive and strikingly created and comes with such imagination and passion it is hard to offer any doubts.

Produced, engineered and mixed by Michael Carpenter at Love Hz Studios, he also contributed bass, drums and percussion and more to the album, The Secret City captivates attention and feelings from its very start. The opening song My View From Here saunters in with a confidence in its melodic grace and a sure intent to mesmerise its recipients. With an eager yet restrained pace it slowly envelopes the ear gradually expanding into a full and vibrant impassioned piece of songwriting. Vocally Lynch reminds a little of Pete Wylie though with a wider range and his delivery is a seamless and complimentary energy within the now vast charms of the song. Without exploding into a full charge the song ignites feelings and an enthused energy within, an uplifting and evocative track which has one drooling.

The excellent and equally compelling Souless follows and is even more impressive. With an open warm heart and a keen swagger it takes one on a journey of warm and honest reflection. Whether the songs and lyrics are borne of personal experience from Lynch and Morello only they can say but there is definitely the feeling that the revelations are spawn from a real and emotional life. The song is wonderful, vying for one of the best heard in recent times anywhere and one of a few on the album making a very inviting entry into The Secret City.

The likes of the pop laced Considerable Love, the Coldplay liked spiced Where Will It End?, and the folky and elegant This Is For You, embrace with a tenderness and defined invention that leaves nothing less than mesmeric satisfaction. They also as with each song on the release bring diversity and an intriguing unpredictability as well as a continual question of who the album reminds of. As the dramatic and bold power of the first single from the album Barrage of Absence stomps into view with its bulging melodies and epic atmosphere, the revelation of who The Secret City remind of breaks through. Not so much in sound but the striking atmospheres and revelatory depths the music reaches is a close cousin to those created by nineties band Fatima Mansions, and with reflection there is also a similarity in the way Lynch expresses the heart and poetry of songs to Cathal Coughlan and a no finer compliment can be given to band and music.

The finest track on the album A Call confirms our comparison as well as being an invigorating and blood pumping treat to feast upon, its rock driven intensity and catchy freshness sheer joy and easily a rival for best song. To be honest the album did not fully engage until its third play onwards though the initial introduction was full of intrigue and open invitation to return but given more company the album unveils an immense imaginative craft and invention for a fully rewarding experience. The Secret City is a band that does not just make music and songs but creates evolving light and darkened gests.

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RingMaster 12/05/2012