secret season - the answer

Secret Season

The Answer
self-released; 2014

4.0 out of 5

By Eva Cantillo

Secret Season is a duo that brings us delightful sounds from vocals, guitars, drums, trumpet, musical saw, flutes and keyboards. The duo is Mark Moogalian and Isabelle Risacher and The Answer is the third album they released together as a duo. Together they create a misty and psychedelic mix of contemporary folk music that is really a trip to listen to. Interestingly enough, The Answer was mastered and mixed on a houseboat on the Seine River in Paris, France which perhaps contributed to the seriously ethereal vibes of this album.

 The opening track titled “The Answer” makes me think I am listening to vintage rock from the 70’s. The harmonization between Mark and Isabelle give it that psychedelic touch as they go back and forth giving a different take on “the answer;” “What’s in your heart, what’s in your soul… find the answer, there in your eyes.”

All of the titles on The Answer seem to follow a theme of self-discovery and trial and error. “Life’s a Mystery” begins with an interesting flute solo and then the beat of the song begins to play. Yet later on within the chorus, the flute returns and stands alone as a beacon of hope and triumph in contrast to the lyrics; “there ain’t no more time, there ain’t no history, try to remember this, life’s a mystery. Moving along, “You Owe Me Good” is a subtle track harping on longing for a lover and it reminds me of a super-slowed down Beatles track. The lyrics explicitly describe the grief within an ending or unbalanced relationship; “for all the love you could not show me, you owe me good.”

 Listening to The Answer is truly a nostalgia trip and something like entering a time machine that’s just about to propel you to the past but its stuck in the 21st century. The theme of the songs illustrate modern troubles but highlight them in a positive light of love for the experience we call life. This album is a great listen from beginning to end and you never know what visions Secret Season will help you conjure up next.

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