Roberto Lopez- Trigo / Columnist
During the summer of this year, Dennis Callaci and Simon Joyner released their second collaboration titled “New Secrets.” Callaci and Joyner have plenty of experience in the music industry. In fact, Callaci operates Shrimper Records and Joyner has released about 13 albums during his career. They have known each other since the early ‘90s and, as a result, Callaci and Joyner have great chemistry that is showcased within the musical context of their work, “New Secrets.”
The style of the writing can be most described as Bob Dylan trying out emo-indie and doing a good job. But, I mean, a really good job. The track that is a perfect example of this is “The Frayed End of the Rope.” In this song, the lyrics describe an adventure through our country’s corrupt bureaucracy of a legal system. The bureaucracy promises to help you by holding “the frayed end of the rope,” but instead cuts the rope you are holding on to for dear life.
Conversely, although the album is mostly centered on lyrics, the music is seldom upbeat or major and has a very steady tempo. This can get a bit tiresome over time and cause the listener to phase out and miss out on the genius flowing from the lyrics. For example, in the song “Mary,” which is the opening track to the album, the accompaniment stays the same throughout with little to no dynamic. On top of that the vocals produce some very awkward harmonies that can immediately turn the listener off to the album as a whole. However, after some analysis of “Mary,” the awkward harmonies and drone accompaniment actually sets the tone for the album. Every awkward harmony is placed in areas so as to augment the meaning of the words. This shows that the stories aren’t “pretty,” but dark and unjust.
In conclusion, this album is the very definition of poetry. With every listen to the album you will find new things to love in the lyrics and music. The lyrics are amazing and intricate enough to allow for open interpretation and the music uses a strophic form to create a canvas of dark colors to paint a world of turmoil, corruption and depression in the most artistically satisfying way possible. Dennis Callaci and Simon Joyner have created a book of poetry in the form of an album that does not deserve to be left as a “New Secret,” but as a well-known testament to quality song writing.
This album gets a four out of five.
life@fiusm.om
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