Archive for the ‘Self Against City’ Category
Self Against City – Telling Secrets To Strangers Review
Sacramento, home of the Kings, and less notably the birthplace of a little known band, Self Against City. The Californian 5 piece is currently signed to Drive Thru Records, sharing the same label with the likes of Hellogoodbye and New Found Glory. Needless to say, Self Against City have proven their music can outshine even their mainstream counterparts, with pure solid music.
Not particularly the most innovative of sounds, or the most talented, Self Against City have done what more or less many bands have attempted, except they’ve done it exceedingly well. Creating a slightly emo pop rock sound, Self Against City released Telling Secrets To Strangers early in 2007, and have created an easily enjoyable album from start to finish. The songs throughout the album are similar in nature, taking the more placid approach to mainstream pop rock music, as opposed to its upbeat counterpart. The vocals are fairly typical, but perfectly match the simple music that’s being played. The instrumentals from the guitar to the drums are similarly simplistic, but remain catchy and bode well for the band.
Becoming A Monster, the first track, is really enjoyable because, though there is a definitive emo influence, the vocals remain consistent, and much of the song remains quite catchy. A constant change in vocal melody, combined with subtle backing vocals, adds to this affect. As always, the guitar riffs are also seemingly catchy, and overall the song is worthwhile. The album will continue with this general formula and although it’s not very memorable music, it is a soothing and entertaining listen.
That isn’t to say there aren’t some songs that really went above and beyond to exceed my expectations. One of my favourites, Dissappearing Act, is definitely memorable and a current favourite of mine. It’s got a really solid chorus line, and a really great beat overall. The lyrics are meaningful and not simply emo, and the vocals are tame yet very prominent. More so, theres an alternative influence present and I find the whole song is a bit more passionate than the rest of the album. The same passion that I see in a lot of my favourite artists, specifically Jack’s Mannequin, I see in Self Against City.
Telling Secrets To Strangers is a superb first effort, but not as memorable as some of the other albums I’ve heard recently. Because of their style, there’s a lot of passion that emits from their music, and this is one of the key aspects to their success. The whole album is an entertaining listen, and there are definitely some songs that I thought were really memorable and excellent. For the most part, this album impressed me, made me a fan of Self Against City, and showed glimpses of what they can do at their best. Self Against City has the potential, the talent, and is an easily in contention to be a favourite of mine for years to come. Telling Secrets To Strangers, might not win any awards, but is definitely worthy of a listen or two….or perhaps ten.
Be sure to check out their Myspace to stream even more great songs.
Self Against City – Ready And Willing
Get Self Against City’s Telling Secrets To Stranger from amazon.ca
