television
secretsunday
no great loss records
1999
11 tracks
It's hard to get a handle on just what the band secretsunday is, or is trying to be. In this release, the group seems to be experimenting with form and style, seeking that perfection which is always just beyond the horizon. Sometimes they come close.
While clearly fitting somewhere in the rock genre, television is diverse and quirky enough to defy classification. My personal preference is when the group keeps it simple and just rocks out with straightforward lyrics and simple, driving instrumentation. The absolute best example is "chinese star" a pumping Elvis Costello sounding number enhanced by some exciting lead guitar plus the spoken bits a la Eric Burden that seem to be the group's trademark.
On the other hand, secretsunday can affect very sweet, soft rock sound. The songs "foster child" and "transmission" exhibit this quiet quality, yet the intensity and darkness of their lyrics plus the punched-up drum tracks give them an edge that catches the listener's attention. This is not background music.
Yet it is, in a way, background music. It's the sort of music that works very well cranked up to its fullest at a party, filling the room with energy and emotion but without anyone having to really listen while it's at that level. Indeed, many of the cuts on this release work better as the volume moves higher and more parts are heard.
The group's Texas roots show up in their use of Mariachi style trumpets on "isabella" and the "Wichita Lineman" echoes running through "caught in a room" and other songs echoing Jim Webb arrangements of twenty years ago.If I have a real quibble with television, it's with the clarity of the lyrics. On most of the songs the lyrics tend to be murky. On some, the music is loud enough over the lyrics to obscure them. The spoken word piece, "the tristero" is an especially good example of this latter problem. Only when the volume is really cranked up can one actually listen to the lyrics. It would have taken only a slight shift in the relative volumes between the music and the lyrics to make the lyrics clearer while not really changing the overall effect.
The "bonus cut" is a bit of a puzzle. There's a twelfth unlisted cut on this release. Its entire content is four seconds of dead air. That is truly a minimalist musical expression. It is unclear whether this was done on purpose or by mistake.
Uneven and quirky as it is, secretsunday's television is an interesting musical experiment worth giving a listen. On the other hand, it will not probably be to many people's taste.
If you would like to learn more about this Texas band, go to the website for secretsunday.
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Review Written: December 13, 1999
Page Last modified: February 14, 2004
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