First Listen:
ReviewMatters of the Heart, Ryan Ross Hernandez first album as a soloist was recevied with mixed to negative reviews, mostly due to the singers lack of emotion, never seeming to find his place on the record where he truly felt comfortable. Despite it and mostly due because of his following with PANIC! picking up his album, the record sold over 4 million copies worldwide. The question was, how would he follow up such an outstanding release? The answer is within the 10 tracks on Dark Secret Love, whether you like it or not. I'll break it down track by track, in the original order.
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A Never-Ending Trip to Heartbreak" opens sounding like a symphony tuning up, and quickly materializes. It chugs along with its atmospheric soundscape and grooving drums, which feel like a slow train carrying the song on top of it. The whole song feels like it's moving along at a steady pace thanks to the drum train and the chugging bass line. The content deals with how explosive relationships can be, with some appropriate war battlefield imagery. Hernandez seems to be the diplomat of the two, as he also suggests that the enemy.
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Why You Wanna Break My Heart Again?" is a sad tune that opens with an innocent, cute melody. This is the story of a man that can't ever seem to make a relationship work. Hernandez says it's time to move on, because he's tired of getting his heart broken. The song is made up of a charming acoustic guitar strum accompanied by some warm strings while the drums keep time and the other instruments accent this melancholy tune that is sad, but light-hearted at the same time. This may be because Hernandez has made up his mind this time, of not long-loving the female, and has accepted his decision to say his final goodbye.
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All That My Love Can Bring" pays homage to Fleetwood Mac, Tom Petty, and the likes, but adds a Ryan Ross Hernandez twist. It is immediately catchy, which leads me to believe that this will be a single to come from Dark Secret Lover. The guitar melody is very appropriate, and blends well with the backing guitar tracks. Ashley Perry makes an appearance singing backup, and at one point exchanging lines with Hernandez. This song discusses that he has shut down his heart to falling in love, and watches while the other heart (Ashley Perry's) is functional and in love with the subject of the song, he's not sure that he'll ever be able to open up his heat again after the heartbreak(s) left from previous lovers. The song is open-ended, not saying whether the female makes a long-commitment with her significant other or whether the male ever falls in love again. Leaving up to the listener to come up with their own ending.
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I'm Perfectly Lonely ('Cause I Don't Belong to Anyone)" is the stage in Hernandez' love life where he doesn't want a companion. "Nothing to do, nowhere to be, a simple little kind of free" shows his optimism about being perfectly happy being perfectly lonely. The groove is tight and will surely make some part of your body move. This is a fun song that has a catchy hook and could make its way onto some radio stations and satellite channels soon.
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Screaming Infidelities" is the only cover song on "Dark Secret Love,". "Screaming Infidelities" is, in my opinion, the weak link of the record. It's sort-of an unplugged version of Dashboard Confessional's first ever single, and at the opening, it shows promise, because the guitar riff has a great effect on it. It's not bad, but on a Ryan Ross Hernandez' blues-rock album, it seems out of place and more of an afterthought. The gang vocals at the end are good, but the track doesn't make me want to go back and listen to it again.
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Convicted for The Assassination of Hearts" is Hernandez' first single off the record, being released a month before the album release date. The song begins with an interesting-sounding percussion instrument plucking a dark melody. It begins sparse and does a great job portraying the type of imagery associated with the subject matter here. The lyrics are based on Hernandez taking the place of a self-described 'alpha male' thinking that he's the assassin, but ending up being Brad Pitt's character in "Mr. and Mrs. Smith." This is a darker, more texturally-interesting song, and will be a joy to watch live.
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Fight On Until the War of My Life Is Over" is another mellow track, with a smooth hook, that deals with a tough part of life for Hernandez. The mood almost seems too mellow, but maybe this is the stage of the war where he's preparing and being pensive about the battle to come. I could see him taking this song live and changing the entire mood from mellow to intense. It's not one of the strongest tracks, but the lyrics are strong on this one.
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An Over-the-Counter Test for Loneliness" is an excellent song, with lyrics we can all relate to. Written about the feeling of emptiness inside, even though everything is in it's place. Hernandez sings the verses with such emotion then slowly relaxes and sings calmly the chorus. Good guitar work and simple but excellent lyrics make this song what it is. Interesting side note; the song is played in open Esus tuning.
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You Sleep So Close to Me (Yet You Don't Belong to Me)" is, as Hernandez describes, that middle of the night wantin' song. The guitar line is my favorite part, with it's arpeggiating floating from your speakers around your room and into your ears. This song instills an image of a bed floating under the stars and the vocals soaring through the night, with hope that they'll reach exactly who they're intended for. The song is filled with classic Ryan Ross Hernandez wit.
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From Now On We Are; A) Friends, B) Lovers or C) Enemies" opens sounding like an old Southern Rock song, a la Lynyrd Skynyrd, but takes a slight shift. The guitar melody is catchy, and it carries over into the vocal melody. This song has nice building and dynamic, which will lend itself very well to live performance. The subject matter here is as the title states, they can be friends, lovers, or nothing. This is a strong song with a solid groove, and a nice way to finish "Dark Secret Love."
After a full listen through this album, it's tough to even try and compare it to "Matters of the Heart," but they're two entirely different entities. "Matters of the Heart" had more singles, was more radio-friendly, and a higher-production value. But at the same time it lacked emotion which is what "Dark Secret Love" is filled with and will be praised for. "Dark Secret Love" is more of a theme album, and as for whether or not it will remain a classic, only time will tell.
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Dark Secret Love" feels very atmospheric and many of the songs almost float. Hernandez seems so comfortable with his new direction. In my opinion, Ryan Ross Hernandez has succeeded with making a different, strong album, that contains a new array of exciting tunes for Hernandez fans, along with a couple singles that will surely find their way onto the radio. Go out and buy a copy, or download it, and listen to it in a dark room or with the lights off and headphones on. Despite this only being the Ryan Ross Hernandez' second studio album as a soloist, the singer has said it over and over that "Dark Secret Love" will be his final record as a soloist. If it is the end of his solo career, he sure goes out with a bang. At the wise age of 22 he makes a record that musicians twice his age can only dream of making.
Edited by user 12 November 2009 13:57:32(UTC)
| Reason: Not specified
