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Secret Coffee:
Moon Set
Back when I lived on the western slope of Colorado, there was a woman who lived a few miles from me. She was what the ranchers around us referred to as a hippie. She was barely old enough to deserve the true title, but she certainly had the style we have come to associate with incense-burning free spirits. She grew her own vegetables, and often waxed nostalgic about the better days of the 70s, when all things seemed brighter, and the plight of the common man was still a cause someone cared about. She played the guitar and always offered to play for me. I never got around to hearing her. But if I had, she might have sounded like Secret Coffee: a honeyed cup of Sanka, a sincere but uninspired copy of the original. Secret Coffees Moon Set is earnest, socially conscious, environmentally flavored 70s hack poetry. Jam band influences result in a drum and guitar-driven rhythm, flourished with sweet keyboards and the occasional whistle or harmonica. Justine Wiltshire and Kirk Perkins share lead vocals. Justines voice is slightly better than Kirks, although both sing in a staccato delivery reminiscent of karaoke. Those Plants starts Moon Set with an homage to plants and the hardships of living by the railroad tracks, sung by Justine. Living in the City is Kirks debut, an overly simplistic cautionary tale disintegrating into an esotericsomething. Autumn 31 has a great harmonica line and the best lyrics of the set; Blue Purple sounds vaguely Irish in its multilayered chorus vocals. L.D. Trucking and Brown Clouds tackle the common man and fossil fuels, respectively. The highlight track of the album, Moonlight, is an almost successful lullaby. The simple repetition of Sleep on, my love is very pretty. Unfortunately, Kirk and Justine missed that elementary musical lesson on timing; each enters or finishes his/her line separately, resulting in a parental intensity unmatched by skill. I hate to believe that Secret Coffee is serious about their lyrics. Lines like: Rise on, you crazy sun/Bring joy to everyone/I love you are so appalling; can they really be serious about this? Unfortunately, I think they are. Normally, songs of decent musical quality cursed with such lyrics would be drawing my ire, but all I feel is sympathy. Their nostalgia would be better served by a conversation, not songs, about the still-relevant concerns of American life: the working poor, caring for the land, and finding solace in nature. Not unlike my neighbor of years before, Secret Coffee makes up in sincerity what they lack in talent. They have all the intensity of a VFW hall band: enough musical skill to keep you in the room, but pitiful lyrics that will keep them playing there forever.
This album can be purchased at Amazon Ghost Collective Official Website About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
