Review: Secret & Whisper – Teenage Fantasy

Sergio reviews Secret & Whisper’s Teenage Fantasy.

Artist Name: Secret & Whisper
Album Name: Teenage Fantasy
Year: 2010
Genre: Post-Hardcore/Alternative Rock

Many reviewers and critics refer to Secret & Whisper as “the Canadian version of Saosin”. While I do agree to a certain extent, there is still something missing to place them in the same category as Saosin.

Teenage Fantasy shows the potential to breakthrough on tracks such as ‘Youth Cats’ and ‘Whale Bones’, but lacks the necessary vocal hooks to captivate the listener for more than the occasional listen. Take the song ‘Tiny Sparkle’, for example, the instrumental aspect is quite solid and alluring, but the vocal chorus lets the song down by never taking off. This problem could be attributed to Charles Furney’s much-debated voice. While he hits incredibly high notes and is in a similar mould as Circa Survive’s Anthony Green, he does tend to get a bit too whiny at times. Look, he’s a talented vocalist, but he overdoes it. If Furney toned it down a level or two, he might actually soar – instead of screech – over the tracks better.

I’ll also probably get a lot of slack for the next criticism, but the lyrics and themes are slightly repetitive. I respect the carrying of concepts throughout the album, but there is far too many mentions of ‘stars’ ‘skies’ and ‘moons’. The ambiguity doesn’t necessarily help their cause either, as audiences might not be able to identify with certain song lyrics.

Despite these negatives, Teenage Fantasy is still a decent sophomore release. Even if you don’t buy this album, you should definitely check out the artwork; it’s highly original and interesting.

Best Tracks: ‘Youth Cats’, ‘Bedroom Galaxy’, and ‘Whale Bones’

61/100

- Sergio Pereira
sergio@musicreview.co.za
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