Walk Into The Light and Reach For The Sky,
SecondsmileOften bands that lose a vocalist tend to slip away and are never the same again. Ask Further Seems Forever, for example. Secondsmile, however, seem intent on breaking the mould and pushing even further forward. Their second release for BSM is far more inventive than their first, ditching the Hopesfall-meets-At The Drive In stylings that have actually become very cliched of late, in favour of a more spaced out sound that resembles bands like Jeniferever, although perhaps with less atmospherics.
Listing Interpol and Radiohead as influences this time round, the music certainly plays a far more important role than it ever has done before. Guitarist Ross Smithwick now handles vocal duties, and while he can still hit the notes, the band, quite rightly, let their music do the talking. It means 'Our Great and Secret Show' and 'Walking Wounded' are fantastic olittle tracks that feature soaring guitars and thudding basslines, all intertwined with a spaced-out vocal that never seems to wuite hit its peak - although in a good way.
But, it's not all good. Truth is, I found that at over 45 minutes on eight songs, this is quite hard to stomach on a full sitting. There's absolutely no doubting the talent and high standards the band set themselves, but it's a bit too long for me. There's often a lot going on so I can imagine Secondsmile are captivating live, but at times the band don't do it for me on record. 'Hanging On Every Word' just seems to drift a little bit without really going anywhere, and it's only when the band force things a little bit that they really hit the spot. Still, the high standard of songwriting has to be admired and this is certainly one of the best UK releases in many a month - even if, at times, I felt the need to do something else...
www.secondsmile.com
BSM Records
Paul
