Freer - Secret Chorus
Musically speaking, Secret Chorus serves up a fine course of melodically pleasing songs that are well arranged and imaginatively executed.
It is a beautiful Sunday morning on the first May weekend in Surf City, which is perfect for the mammoth volleyball tournament going on at the pier. Yes, nothing stimulates me more than sitting with bikini clad babes and tan, hunky dudes watching the likes of Misty May and Kerri Walsh inflict a beating upon their opponents. I’m all about the sunshine and sand; that is why my pasty, white ass is firmly planted at my desk typing a review for Sound the Sirens. Today’s offering to the God of tin ears is Freer, a band that has sprung up from the mean streets of Detroit to share an “avant-garde creative attitude” that makes “music that is not only artfully meaningful but fun to listen to as well.” At least that’s what their press kit says but since they misspelled that bloody French adjective, I decided I would have to take these guys for a test drive before determining if they were true artists.
“Long Road Home” is a solid opening track that combines the accessible yet linear simplicity of late 60s rock with the 80s ethereal sound of the Cure. My only objection is that the bridge section sounds a bit too much like “Under The Milky Way” by the Church. “Taking Me Over” also has a minimalist arrangement that is super clean, nicely played and features good lead vocals by keyboardist Jeremy Freer. “I Think You Know” is a dynamic song with a combination of sounds reminiscent of the early work of Split Enz. This one features outstanding guitar and bass parts working effectively together to enhance engaging song changes. Jeremy does a great job on both electric piano and vocals on the pretty, melancholy “Dreams Disappear” that unfortunately suffers from less than stellar lyrics. Also flawed from feeble words is “Souvenirs,” a song that otherwise showcases excellent acoustic guitar work, vocal harmonies and melodic quality.
Freer consistently does a good job writing interesting melodies and the epic “Snails” is a cool throwback to the progressive arena rock of the early 1970s. This imaginative arrangement almost makes me forget this line: “There’s a road where you find / no one finds you / and you feel so unreal / and the snails come out in time to remind you / you can’t always trust the way you feel” Well I don’t know about you, but beyond occasionally enjoying some escargot, snails have never been a barometer for my emotional stability.
Musically speaking, Secret Chorus serves up a fine course of melodically pleasing songs that are well arranged and imaginatively executed. It is unfortunate that once again the songwriters seem to have played hooky during their creative writing lessons in favor of attending music theory class. My recommendation is to go down to Borders and buy a couple of old Dylan records or perhaps some poetry books written by Jim Carroll or Gary Snyder.
(Jumberlack Records)