Search - Secretary Bird :: Secretary Bird

Amazing

T. Laxson | Arizona | 03/26/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Despite the seemingly hyperbolic review title, I simply want to say that this album is just what I've been looking for. At times it almost sounds too much like the Beatles, The Shins, Andrew Bird, M Ward, or any of thousands of "indie pop/rock/alt-country" bands out there. The difference is sincerity. Whereas the bands mentioned above, to me, feel soulless and formulaic (despite the intricate and extraneous tricks meant to disguise cliche and arrogance), Mr. Semple's voice and compositions convey an honesty and a humble self-consciousness that cannot be faked.

Actually, as I write this, I realize that this album reminds me of Jay Farrar (particularly his Sebastopol). It's straightforward; it's simple; it's tangible. The beauty that these tracks convey is the kind of beauty that you find in your own life, not the kind that you find on a movie screen or in a book. It's not feel-good music, and it's not sad-core, but it's far from apathetic. It's not grandiose; it's not pretentiously minimalist; (to indulge in a little cliche myself) it's music for the common man.



Ah, whatever. Just buy it."