| Secret Colours — Peach (2013) |
Secret Colours — Peach
A young psychedelic band comes out of nowhere with a really good debut.
≥ Secret Colours revel in being the bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines. Since their eponymous debut in 2010, the band moved swiftly from neophyte in the Chicago psychedelic-newgaze scene to psych-pop crusaders who bring their sound definitively to the next level, but are still drenched in the sound that will help you to turn on, tune in, and drop out.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Album release: May 28, 2013
Record Label: Secret Colours
Duration: 54:17
Tracks:
01. Blackbird (Only One) (4:42)
02. Freak (4:29)
03. Euphoric Collisions (3:26)
04. World Through My Window (3:58)
05. Legends Of Love (4:46)
06. Blackhole (5:05)
07. Who You Gonna Run To (3:52)
08. Peach (5:36)
09. Faust (4:03)
10. My Home Is In Your Soul (5:02)
11. Me (3:42)
12. Lust (3:07)
13. Love Like A Fool (2:29)
≥ All tracks written by Tommy Evans except "Love Like a Fool" by Margaret Albright / Tommy Evans
≥ Produced by Brian Deck
≥ Recorded at Engine Studios, Chicago
≥ Mastered by Richard Dodd
≥ Photo By Lenny Gilmore
Members:
≥ Tommy Evans — Vocals/Guitar
≥ Mike Novak — Guitar
≥ Justin Frederick — Drums
≥ Eric Hehr — Bass
CREDITS:
≥ Margaret Albright Composer, Group Member, Percussion, Vocals
≥ Brian Deck Engineer, Producer
≥ Richard Dodd Mastering
≥ Tommy Evans Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Rhythm), Organ, Vocals
≥ Justin Frederick Design, Drums, Group Member, Percussion
≥ Lenny Gilmore Photography
≥ Bobby Lord Fender Rhodes, Piano
≥ Dylan Olson Group Member, Guitar (Bass)
≥ Dave Stach Group Member, Guitar
Website: http://www.secretcolours.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/secretcoloursmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/secretcoloursband
Bandcamp: http://secretcolours.bandcamp.com/album/peach
Twitter: https://twitter.com/secretcolours
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretcolours
Press: Jeffrey Smith | Crash Avenue |
Agent:
Description:
≥ "2013 album from the Psych-Rock band. Since their eponymous debut in 2010, Secret Colours moved swiftly from the neophyte in the Chicago Psychedelic-Newgaze scene to crusader over the course of unforgettable performances at Austin Psych Fest and Levitation Fest in 2012. Appearances with The Ravonettes, Night Beats, Ringo Deathstarr, and The Warlocks (to name a few) have kept them busy while they've been hard at work on Peach recorded by Modest Mouse knob-twiddler, Brian Deck."
In french:
≥ Un fruit d'été tres agréable a déguster, recommandé!
_______________________________________________________________
REVIEW
By Nancy Hoang, June 3, 2013
≥ Aptly named Peach, the sophomore release from Chicago band Secret Colours is bountiful with fuzz—be it from real peaches or merely the fuzzy reverb edge that so effectively graces Secret Colours’ sound. Following their 2010 self-titled debut, Secret Colours have come back to ride the psychedelia revival wave at its forefront. Peach is borderline polished when contrasted with the band’s earlier work—if you can even call shoe-gaze influenced psychedelia polished. It’s more polished in the sense that Peach has a refinement in sound and it’s evident that this band has found a type of aesthetic clarity.
≥ This newfound refinement can perhaps be attributed to bringing in Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron And Wine) as producer. With more ears on board and Deck’s guiding hand, Secret Colours are no longer allowing their musical influences of Blur, the Beatles, or the Black Angels to take over. With Peach Secret Colours have cast aside some of these more pronounced reference points in favor creating their own distinct sound. The pounding rhythm and hazy vocals heard on “Freak” create an air an urgency that makes the track a fitting first single. The pleading croons of “I wanna be your freak” by vocalist Tommy Evans are not merely wants but desperate desires. It’s followed by “Euphoric Collisions,” which finds a sweet balance between Britpop and psychedelic with its chipper chorus and an overload of squalling guitars.
≥ Slow build-ups and explosive releases are no stranger to Secret Colours. This is most prominently displayed on “Blackhole” where we find the track’s synths and backing keys deliberately building up to a guitar solo that gives the longer track a timely end. We come face to face with this type of tension building again on “Faust,” which was last seen on the band’s EP 3. This track was surely the standout on their 2011 release, which consisted of five thematically scattered songs that desperately needed the retentive bound of a full length album. Nevertheless, “Faust” is tight and fleshes out Peach well. Its powerful, heavily distorted guitars give the album a Rocky-punch-in-the-air moment.
≥ For a 21st century band aiming for a sound way before their time, the mounds of distortion and trippy guitars that embellishes the album are the furthest thing from gimmicky. With Peach these effects add to the album’s thematic purpose and become an integral additive that give the songs their meditative texture. “Me” fully attests to this, operating underneath a haunting wave of haze and fuzz accompanied with lush harmonies. Ending the album on a high and paying a visit to the ’90s, “Lust” encapsulates the sugary appeal of Britpop with its layered guitar work and tight bass lines. “Put me under the spell/Make me be myself” is repeated throughout the track, and it’s in that moment that that we can see Secret Colours have found themselves. (http://www.cmj.com/)
Editorial Reviews
Review
≥ Secret Colours proudly identify themselves as "the bastard seed of '60s psychedelia and '90s Britpop bloodlines" on their Facebook page, and at the very least we can say this about the Chicago foursome: They know who they are. Blackbird (Only One),; a shambling Technicolor groove off the self-assured outfit's upcoming sophomore album, Peach (out May 28), morphs into a feedback-drenched bliss-out that sounds like it could have come straight out of Manchester. — Spin.com
≥ While it hasn t been as extensively covered in the press to the same extent as other pop trends, classically-minded psychedelic rock has been having something of a moment these days. Austin s Black Angels, who recently released their fourth album, Indigo Meadow, have turned an acid-drenched aesthetic and some prime placement on the summer festival circuit into one of the more devoted cults in rock music, while stalwart group Spiritualized just last year released one of its best albums. (But to be fair, pretty much all of the albums they released qualify for that designation.) Chicago s Secret Colours are a young band from Chicago with a new record, Peach (coming out May 28), that should push them to the front line of this burgeoning psych revival. Their roots are heavy in the first wave of British psychedelia, with an emphasis on the works of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Brian Jones-era Stones, with a newly emphasized streak of influence another wave of guitar-slinging, drug-munching Brits who came around during the 90s and were filed under the term shoegaze. We re happy to share with you an exclusive first listen to the Peach cut Blackhole. It s got the melty Day-Glo feel of a Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd song, embellished with piano, melodica, and a drum machine that s better suited to sinking into a bean bag chair than raving until dawn. Read more: Exclusive: Listen to Secret Colours' New Track - Esquire Follow us: @Esquiremag on Twitter | Esquire on Facebook Visit us at Esquire.com — esquire.com
≥ We totally dug the last release we heard from the folks in the Chicago, Illinois-based band Secret Colours. And the good news is...that we're just as impressed with Peach. This band has a dreamy slightly drony semi-psychedelic sound reminiscent of early recordings by The Charlatans UK. The vocals are subtle and subdued...the rhythms mainly mid-tempo and constant...the keyboards are dreamy...and the guitars have a cool heady sound. Peach is a mainly mellow experience...but the songs are by no means wimpy or meek. Secret Colours tunes absolutely command body movement...and the overall vibe that this band creates is immediately warm and appealing. The more we hear from these folks...the more impressed we are. Thirteen intoxicating tracks here including: Blackbird (Only One); Freak; Who You Gonna Run To; Me; + Love Like A Fool. Highly recommended! TOP PICK. — babysue.com
_______________________________________________________________
REVIEW
BY AMANDA KOELLNER ON MAY 28TH, 2013; Score: ***½
≥ Sometimes with bands, it’s just all second-hand talk regarding how X band-you’ve-never-heard-of sounds like Y genres-you-really-love. But Secret Colours, who, according to no one less than themselves revel in being the bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines, have accurately placed themselves on the line between the two movements they effortlessly amalgamate.
≥ The Chicago band enlisted producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron & Wine) for their sophomore sojourn toward the place where psychedelia meets pop. Unlike so many bands on the same pilgrimage who end up being described by variances of the word “chill”, Secret Colours turn it up to 11. The group clamor out of the gate on the first few tracks, with “Blackbird (Only One)” calling to mind the Dandy Warhols when they rock the hardest; it’s easy to get lost when the song is steeped in reverb for its last fourth or so, beckoning from a rabbit hole of spiraling guitar. “Euphoric Collisions” and “Lust” both exude sex, as hazy-voiced frontman Tommy Evans sings, “She’s so sexy / makes me crazy” on the former and “Damn / I just can’t stand / The things you do with your hands” on the latter.
≥ But it’s on “Legends of Love”, a song that captures the embalming mood of dazed record store patrons, that embodies what this four-piece is up to on Peach. The band gifts us a track that recalls something of the past, but the way they bend their fuzzy guitars, pound their relentless rhythm, and swim through their kaleidoscopic sound — you can’t even tell it was used.
Essential Tracks: “Blackbird (Only One)”, “Legends of Love”
Fortaken: http://consequenceofsound.net/
Also:
≥ Kelly Knapp | Wednesday, 29 May 2013 21:32
≥ Email: (See Notes*)
≥ http://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/item/3170-album-review-secret-colours-peach
≥ Mike Mule | on July 2nd, 2013 at 8:00 AM
≥ http://www.ssgmusic.com/secret-colours-peach/
≥ Ray Finlayson | June 7, 2013; Score: 67%
≥ http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-secret-colours-peach/
≥ BY FIRE NOTE STAFF | JULY 16, 2013 | Score: ***½
≥ http://thefirenote.com/2013/07/16/secret-colours-peach-album-review/
≥ By Vicki Dolenga | May 28. 2013 |
≥ http://www.theowlmag.com/album-reviews/peach-by-secret-colours-2/
≥ By Miles Raymer | https://[email protected]
≥ http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/secret-colours-chicago-psychedelic-rock-beat-kitchen/Content?oid=2224279
_______________________________________________________________
INTERVIEW
Secret Colours Discuss Stepping Out of the ‘New Psychedelic’ Bubble
By Kenneth Partridge
≥ Secret Colours have one of the least appropriate band names on the planet. The Chicago rockers have made absolutely no secret about what colors their sound, and really, why would they? They could lie and say they’re not into ’60s garage and psychedelia and ’90s Britpop and shoegaze, but their 2010 self-titled debut outs them as unabashed fans of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Stone Roses and Brian Jonestown Massacre. So are lots of other bands, and following the release of that first album, the group got in good with the giants of their backward-looking, pedal-stomping scene. They’ve since shared stages with the likes of the Raveonettes and Warlocks and fuzzed it up at such festivals as Austin’s Psych Fest.
≥ Having proved quite adept at mystic jangling and distorted droning, Secret Colours aim for a slightly more expansive sound on ‘Peach,’ their recently released sophomore effort. It’s not a huge departure — the prefix “neo” and suffix “gaze” still offer reasonable shorthand for whatever critics decide to call this stuff — but every now and then, the group throws in some piano or melodica, just to prove they haven’t nodded off at the controls.
≥ Checking in with Diffuser.fm via email, singer, guitarist and songwriter Tommy Evans explained how ‘Peach’ producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) helped Secret Colours achieve their goal of sounding less like their influences and more like themselves.
• This record has lots of the distorted guitar people expect, but with the melodica on tunes like ‘Blackhole’ and ‘Me’ and piano on ‘My Home Is In Your Soul’ and ‘Love Like a Fool,’ you veer off in some really cool directions. To what extent was branching out and experimenting a goal?
— We did strive to experiment a bit on this one. We didn’t want to make the same record twice. However, most of the new direction on this record was inspired directly from us becoming comfortable with ourselves, musically, and not using our influences as a crutch. For all the people involved in creating this record, their personalities more easily shine through then the last.
• Are there any songs you really pushed yourself on? Did you surprise yourselves at any point?
— We pushed ourselves on all of these tracks. Brian made sure of that. Before working with him, our attitudes let us settle for good enough. I felt we’ve learned a lot about the importance to giving it all you have to make a record because that’s what makes it genuine. Not the ideas themselves. This process and production our this entire record felt like a surprise, or more of a discovery.
• You call yourself a “sleeker” band now, since you’re down to four members. How has that affected the sound? Is less more, in terms of personnel? (Fewer to split those fat paychecks, eh?)
— Being a four-piece again has nothing to do with us getting more money, because we don’t really make money as a band [haha]. All lot of personal things happened between the members of the band following the ‘Peach’ sessions which forced us to rearrange our lineup a bit. The ‘Peach’ sessions have become a little nostalgic for us now, since it was the last collaboration with the original members.
— Playing in a quartet again, with a new bassist, allows us to have a fresh perspective on songs that are becoming aged to us. We are able to reinvent the performance of these songs to fit more with the direction we seem to be going. It’s also easier to manage with less personalities in the band, [guitarist] Dave [Stach]‘s and mine are big enough for Secret Colours as it is [haha]. But un actuality, it makes the songwriting process more interesting, because everybody’s voice is heard.
• What role did Brian Deck play? Is he a hands-on producer, or did he kind of let you guys go? Was there a record he’s made that you really like and wanted to borrow elements of?
— Brian was amazing to us. He pushed us out of our comfort zone which made us better technically and creatively. I remember doing takes while tracking drums, bass and guitar where we thought we nailed the take, but he would tell us something like it wasn’t quite there yet, or that was s–, do it again. It was a new too us to have to play to that level of perfection. It made us grow, for sure. Definitely a fantastic experience working with him.
• Is it challenging to borrow from your influences — ’60s psych-rock, Britpop, etc. — but still put your own spin on things? Do you guys feel like you’ve carved out your own identity and avoided becoming a genre band?
— Early on, we made the mistake of wearing our influences on our sleeves, which trapped us under the “new psychedelic” bubble. As we are getting older, we are becoming less concerned about being a genre band and more concerned about being ourselves. What made bands from those eras so great wasn’t really the music itself but the message behind it, or more or less what was pushing them personally to create the beauty they did. That’s what made the greats (that were available to us) stand out from the pretenders. That’s what we feel is important to focus on when creating something.
• What’s next for Secret Colours?
— We are writing loads of new material and ready to hit the Chicago street festivals, so come say hey if you’re around.
Fortaken: http://diffuser.fm/secret-colours-peach-interview-2013/
_______________________________________________________________
Notes*:
Kelly Knapp
≥ I grew up listening to the music my parents listened to. My mom gave me some of her “Golden Oldies” cassette tapes, and I could sit in my room for hours harmonizing with The Ronettes, and staring at Del Shannon, who I thought was a total stud in his tiny black and white photo on the glossy fold-out insert. I listened to Willie Nelson because my Dad admired him so much, and I wanted to understand what was so great about him too. My first concert wasn’t a huge life changer; I saw Inner Circle at a local Jambalaya festival in Central Florida. Their biggest hit was “Bad Boys,” the theme song to COPS. If anything, that concert should have traumatized me. But, at the time I had no comprehension of any crassness. I just remember the guitarist making eye contact with me and smiling, and feeling excitement over having a brief connection with someone who was making me dance.
≥ It’s the same thing with listening to music with words in another language. It’s not necessary to understand words or literal meanings. It’s the way the melodies and rhythms evoke feeling. It’s like that saying about art, how you may not be able to explain it, but you know it when you see it. I can’t always describe music (although obviously, I sure as hell try to), but I know what I like when I feel it, and I think those who can evoke that feeling deserve to be acknowledged for it. That’s what I want to describe. That’s what I want to share.
≥ Email:
_______________________________________________________________
Secret Colours: Dylan Olson, Justin Frederick, Tommy Evans (top), Margaret Albright, Dave Stach | © Photo credit: JOHN STURDY
_______________________________________________________________
| Secret Colours — Peach (2013) |
Secret Colours — Peach
A young psychedelic band comes out of nowhere with a really good debut.
≥ Secret Colours revel in being the bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines. Since their eponymous debut in 2010, the band moved swiftly from neophyte in the Chicago psychedelic-newgaze scene to psych-pop crusaders who bring their sound definitively to the next level, but are still drenched in the sound that will help you to turn on, tune in, and drop out.
Location: Chicago, Illinois
Album release: May 28, 2013
Record Label: Secret Colours
Duration: 54:17
Tracks:
01. Blackbird (Only One) (4:42)
02. Freak (4:29)
03. Euphoric Collisions (3:26)
04. World Through My Window (3:58)
05. Legends Of Love (4:46)
06. Blackhole (5:05)
07. Who You Gonna Run To (3:52)
08. Peach (5:36)
09. Faust (4:03)
10. My Home Is In Your Soul (5:02)
11. Me (3:42)
12. Lust (3:07)
13. Love Like A Fool (2:29)
≥ All tracks written by Tommy Evans except "Love Like a Fool" by Margaret Albright / Tommy Evans
≥ Produced by Brian Deck
≥ Recorded at Engine Studios, Chicago
≥ Mastered by Richard Dodd
≥ Photo By Lenny Gilmore
Members:
≥ Tommy Evans — Vocals/Guitar
≥ Mike Novak — Guitar
≥ Justin Frederick — Drums
≥ Eric Hehr — Bass
CREDITS:
≥ Margaret Albright Composer, Group Member, Percussion, Vocals
≥ Brian Deck Engineer, Producer
≥ Richard Dodd Mastering
≥ Tommy Evans Composer, Group Member, Guitar (Rhythm), Organ, Vocals
≥ Justin Frederick Design, Drums, Group Member, Percussion
≥ Lenny Gilmore Photography
≥ Bobby Lord Fender Rhodes, Piano
≥ Dylan Olson Group Member, Guitar (Bass)
≥ Dave Stach Group Member, Guitar
Website: http://www.secretcolours.com/
MySpace: https://myspace.com/secretcoloursmusic
YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/secretcoloursband
Bandcamp: http://secretcolours.bandcamp.com/album/peach
Twitter: https://twitter.com/secretcolours
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/secretcolours
Press: Jeffrey Smith | Crash Avenue |
Agent:
Description:
≥ "2013 album from the Psych-Rock band. Since their eponymous debut in 2010, Secret Colours moved swiftly from the neophyte in the Chicago Psychedelic-Newgaze scene to crusader over the course of unforgettable performances at Austin Psych Fest and Levitation Fest in 2012. Appearances with The Ravonettes, Night Beats, Ringo Deathstarr, and The Warlocks (to name a few) have kept them busy while they've been hard at work on Peach recorded by Modest Mouse knob-twiddler, Brian Deck."
In french:
≥ Un fruit d'été tres agréable a déguster, recommandé!
_______________________________________________________________
REVIEW
By Nancy Hoang, June 3, 2013
≥ Aptly named Peach, the sophomore release from Chicago band Secret Colours is bountiful with fuzz—be it from real peaches or merely the fuzzy reverb edge that so effectively graces Secret Colours’ sound. Following their 2010 self-titled debut, Secret Colours have come back to ride the psychedelia revival wave at its forefront. Peach is borderline polished when contrasted with the band’s earlier work—if you can even call shoe-gaze influenced psychedelia polished. It’s more polished in the sense that Peach has a refinement in sound and it’s evident that this band has found a type of aesthetic clarity.
≥ This newfound refinement can perhaps be attributed to bringing in Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron And Wine) as producer. With more ears on board and Deck’s guiding hand, Secret Colours are no longer allowing their musical influences of Blur, the Beatles, or the Black Angels to take over. With Peach Secret Colours have cast aside some of these more pronounced reference points in favor creating their own distinct sound. The pounding rhythm and hazy vocals heard on “Freak” create an air an urgency that makes the track a fitting first single. The pleading croons of “I wanna be your freak” by vocalist Tommy Evans are not merely wants but desperate desires. It’s followed by “Euphoric Collisions,” which finds a sweet balance between Britpop and psychedelic with its chipper chorus and an overload of squalling guitars.
≥ Slow build-ups and explosive releases are no stranger to Secret Colours. This is most prominently displayed on “Blackhole” where we find the track’s synths and backing keys deliberately building up to a guitar solo that gives the longer track a timely end. We come face to face with this type of tension building again on “Faust,” which was last seen on the band’s EP 3. This track was surely the standout on their 2011 release, which consisted of five thematically scattered songs that desperately needed the retentive bound of a full length album. Nevertheless, “Faust” is tight and fleshes out Peach well. Its powerful, heavily distorted guitars give the album a Rocky-punch-in-the-air moment.
≥ For a 21st century band aiming for a sound way before their time, the mounds of distortion and trippy guitars that embellishes the album are the furthest thing from gimmicky. With Peach these effects add to the album’s thematic purpose and become an integral additive that give the songs their meditative texture. “Me” fully attests to this, operating underneath a haunting wave of haze and fuzz accompanied with lush harmonies. Ending the album on a high and paying a visit to the ’90s, “Lust” encapsulates the sugary appeal of Britpop with its layered guitar work and tight bass lines. “Put me under the spell/Make me be myself” is repeated throughout the track, and it’s in that moment that that we can see Secret Colours have found themselves. (http://www.cmj.com/)
Editorial Reviews
Review
≥ Secret Colours proudly identify themselves as "the bastard seed of '60s psychedelia and '90s Britpop bloodlines" on their Facebook page, and at the very least we can say this about the Chicago foursome: They know who they are. Blackbird (Only One),; a shambling Technicolor groove off the self-assured outfit's upcoming sophomore album, Peach (out May 28), morphs into a feedback-drenched bliss-out that sounds like it could have come straight out of Manchester. — Spin.com
≥ While it hasn t been as extensively covered in the press to the same extent as other pop trends, classically-minded psychedelic rock has been having something of a moment these days. Austin s Black Angels, who recently released their fourth album, Indigo Meadow, have turned an acid-drenched aesthetic and some prime placement on the summer festival circuit into one of the more devoted cults in rock music, while stalwart group Spiritualized just last year released one of its best albums. (But to be fair, pretty much all of the albums they released qualify for that designation.) Chicago s Secret Colours are a young band from Chicago with a new record, Peach (coming out May 28), that should push them to the front line of this burgeoning psych revival. Their roots are heavy in the first wave of British psychedelia, with an emphasis on the works of the Beatles, Pink Floyd, and Brian Jones-era Stones, with a newly emphasized streak of influence another wave of guitar-slinging, drug-munching Brits who came around during the 90s and were filed under the term shoegaze. We re happy to share with you an exclusive first listen to the Peach cut Blackhole. It s got the melty Day-Glo feel of a Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd song, embellished with piano, melodica, and a drum machine that s better suited to sinking into a bean bag chair than raving until dawn. Read more: Exclusive: Listen to Secret Colours' New Track - Esquire Follow us: @Esquiremag on Twitter | Esquire on Facebook Visit us at Esquire.com — esquire.com
≥ We totally dug the last release we heard from the folks in the Chicago, Illinois-based band Secret Colours. And the good news is...that we're just as impressed with Peach. This band has a dreamy slightly drony semi-psychedelic sound reminiscent of early recordings by The Charlatans UK. The vocals are subtle and subdued...the rhythms mainly mid-tempo and constant...the keyboards are dreamy...and the guitars have a cool heady sound. Peach is a mainly mellow experience...but the songs are by no means wimpy or meek. Secret Colours tunes absolutely command body movement...and the overall vibe that this band creates is immediately warm and appealing. The more we hear from these folks...the more impressed we are. Thirteen intoxicating tracks here including: Blackbird (Only One); Freak; Who You Gonna Run To; Me; + Love Like A Fool. Highly recommended! TOP PICK. — babysue.com
_______________________________________________________________
REVIEW
BY AMANDA KOELLNER ON MAY 28TH, 2013; Score: ***½
≥ Sometimes with bands, it’s just all second-hand talk regarding how X band-you’ve-never-heard-of sounds like Y genres-you-really-love. But Secret Colours, who, according to no one less than themselves revel in being the bastard seed of the ’60s psychedelia and ’90s Britpop bloodlines, have accurately placed themselves on the line between the two movements they effortlessly amalgamate.
≥ The Chicago band enlisted producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Gomez, Iron & Wine) for their sophomore sojourn toward the place where psychedelia meets pop. Unlike so many bands on the same pilgrimage who end up being described by variances of the word “chill”, Secret Colours turn it up to 11. The group clamor out of the gate on the first few tracks, with “Blackbird (Only One)” calling to mind the Dandy Warhols when they rock the hardest; it’s easy to get lost when the song is steeped in reverb for its last fourth or so, beckoning from a rabbit hole of spiraling guitar. “Euphoric Collisions” and “Lust” both exude sex, as hazy-voiced frontman Tommy Evans sings, “She’s so sexy / makes me crazy” on the former and “Damn / I just can’t stand / The things you do with your hands” on the latter.
≥ But it’s on “Legends of Love”, a song that captures the embalming mood of dazed record store patrons, that embodies what this four-piece is up to on Peach. The band gifts us a track that recalls something of the past, but the way they bend their fuzzy guitars, pound their relentless rhythm, and swim through their kaleidoscopic sound — you can’t even tell it was used.
Essential Tracks: “Blackbird (Only One)”, “Legends of Love”
Fortaken: http://consequenceofsound.net/
Also:
≥ Kelly Knapp | Wednesday, 29 May 2013 21:32
≥ Email: (See Notes*)
≥ http://www.bestnewbands.com/album-reviews/item/3170-album-review-secret-colours-peach
≥ Mike Mule | on July 2nd, 2013 at 8:00 AM
≥ http://www.ssgmusic.com/secret-colours-peach/
≥ Ray Finlayson | June 7, 2013; Score: 67%
≥ http://beatsperminute.com/reviews/album-review-secret-colours-peach/
≥ BY FIRE NOTE STAFF | JULY 16, 2013 | Score: ***½
≥ http://thefirenote.com/2013/07/16/secret-colours-peach-album-review/
≥ By Vicki Dolenga | May 28. 2013 |
≥ http://www.theowlmag.com/album-reviews/peach-by-secret-colours-2/
≥ By Miles Raymer | https://[email protected]
≥ http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/secret-colours-chicago-psychedelic-rock-beat-kitchen/Content?oid=2224279
_______________________________________________________________
INTERVIEW
Secret Colours Discuss Stepping Out of the ‘New Psychedelic’ Bubble
By Kenneth Partridge
≥ Secret Colours have one of the least appropriate band names on the planet. The Chicago rockers have made absolutely no secret about what colors their sound, and really, why would they? They could lie and say they’re not into ’60s garage and psychedelia and ’90s Britpop and shoegaze, but their 2010 self-titled debut outs them as unabashed fans of the Jesus and Mary Chain, Stone Roses and Brian Jonestown Massacre. So are lots of other bands, and following the release of that first album, the group got in good with the giants of their backward-looking, pedal-stomping scene. They’ve since shared stages with the likes of the Raveonettes and Warlocks and fuzzed it up at such festivals as Austin’s Psych Fest.
≥ Having proved quite adept at mystic jangling and distorted droning, Secret Colours aim for a slightly more expansive sound on ‘Peach,’ their recently released sophomore effort. It’s not a huge departure — the prefix “neo” and suffix “gaze” still offer reasonable shorthand for whatever critics decide to call this stuff — but every now and then, the group throws in some piano or melodica, just to prove they haven’t nodded off at the controls.
≥ Checking in with Diffuser.fm via email, singer, guitarist and songwriter Tommy Evans explained how ‘Peach’ producer Brian Deck (Modest Mouse, Iron and Wine) helped Secret Colours achieve their goal of sounding less like their influences and more like themselves.
• This record has lots of the distorted guitar people expect, but with the melodica on tunes like ‘Blackhole’ and ‘Me’ and piano on ‘My Home Is In Your Soul’ and ‘Love Like a Fool,’ you veer off in some really cool directions. To what extent was branching out and experimenting a goal?
— We did strive to experiment a bit on this one. We didn’t want to make the same record twice. However, most of the new direction on this record was inspired directly from us becoming comfortable with ourselves, musically, and not using our influences as a crutch. For all the people involved in creating this record, their personalities more easily shine through then the last.
• Are there any songs you really pushed yourself on? Did you surprise yourselves at any point?
— We pushed ourselves on all of these tracks. Brian made sure of that. Before working with him, our attitudes let us settle for good enough. I felt we’ve learned a lot about the importance to giving it all you have to make a record because that’s what makes it genuine. Not the ideas themselves. This process and production our this entire record felt like a surprise, or more of a discovery.
• You call yourself a “sleeker” band now, since you’re down to four members. How has that affected the sound? Is less more, in terms of personnel? (Fewer to split those fat paychecks, eh?)
— Being a four-piece again has nothing to do with us getting more money, because we don’t really make money as a band [haha]. All lot of personal things happened between the members of the band following the ‘Peach’ sessions which forced us to rearrange our lineup a bit. The ‘Peach’ sessions have become a little nostalgic for us now, since it was the last collaboration with the original members.
— Playing in a quartet again, with a new bassist, allows us to have a fresh perspective on songs that are becoming aged to us. We are able to reinvent the performance of these songs to fit more with the direction we seem to be going. It’s also easier to manage with less personalities in the band, [guitarist] Dave [Stach]‘s and mine are big enough for Secret Colours as it is [haha]. But un actuality, it makes the songwriting process more interesting, because everybody’s voice is heard.
• What role did Brian Deck play? Is he a hands-on producer, or did he kind of let you guys go? Was there a record he’s made that you really like and wanted to borrow elements of?
— Brian was amazing to us. He pushed us out of our comfort zone which made us better technically and creatively. I remember doing takes while tracking drums, bass and guitar where we thought we nailed the take, but he would tell us something like it wasn’t quite there yet, or that was s–, do it again. It was a new too us to have to play to that level of perfection. It made us grow, for sure. Definitely a fantastic experience working with him.
• Is it challenging to borrow from your influences — ’60s psych-rock, Britpop, etc. — but still put your own spin on things? Do you guys feel like you’ve carved out your own identity and avoided becoming a genre band?
— Early on, we made the mistake of wearing our influences on our sleeves, which trapped us under the “new psychedelic” bubble. As we are getting older, we are becoming less concerned about being a genre band and more concerned about being ourselves. What made bands from those eras so great wasn’t really the music itself but the message behind it, or more or less what was pushing them personally to create the beauty they did. That’s what made the greats (that were available to us) stand out from the pretenders. That’s what we feel is important to focus on when creating something.
• What’s next for Secret Colours?
— We are writing loads of new material and ready to hit the Chicago street festivals, so come say hey if you’re around.
Fortaken: http://diffuser.fm/secret-colours-peach-interview-2013/
_______________________________________________________________
Notes*:
Kelly Knapp
≥ I grew up listening to the music my parents listened to. My mom gave me some of her “Golden Oldies” cassette tapes, and I could sit in my room for hours harmonizing with The Ronettes, and staring at Del Shannon, who I thought was a total stud in his tiny black and white photo on the glossy fold-out insert. I listened to Willie Nelson because my Dad admired him so much, and I wanted to understand what was so great about him too. My first concert wasn’t a huge life changer; I saw Inner Circle at a local Jambalaya festival in Central Florida. Their biggest hit was “Bad Boys,” the theme song to COPS. If anything, that concert should have traumatized me. But, at the time I had no comprehension of any crassness. I just remember the guitarist making eye contact with me and smiling, and feeling excitement over having a brief connection with someone who was making me dance.
≥ It’s the same thing with listening to music with words in another language. It’s not necessary to understand words or literal meanings. It’s the way the melodies and rhythms evoke feeling. It’s like that saying about art, how you may not be able to explain it, but you know it when you see it. I can’t always describe music (although obviously, I sure as hell try to), but I know what I like when I feel it, and I think those who can evoke that feeling deserve to be acknowledged for it. That’s what I want to describe. That’s what I want to share.
≥ Email:
_______________________________________________________________
Secret Colours: Dylan Olson, Justin Frederick, Tommy Evans (top), Margaret Albright, Dave Stach | © Photo credit: JOHN STURDY
_______________________________________________________________