Secondhand Serenade - Hear Me Now (ALBUM REVIEW)

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As I listen to the new album by Secondhand Serenade, I have to admit it isn’t a terrible listen. It has all the right melodies and a musical style that you can just listen to. The one thing I’ve always had trouble getting around is that Secondhand Serenade is basically the little brother of Dashboard Confessional. In many ways that isn’t a bad thing because most artists resemble other artists. The one thing that has always weighed down Secondhand Serenade is the constant comparison to Dashboard Confessional. This comparison is well deserved and I have to compare the two a little with this new album.

There is no denying that John Vesely has a voice and it’s a large part of the enjoyment of the album for me. Whether you like the guy or not he can sing and his voice conveys a lot of emotion, which is good for an album of this nature.

The album is well produced. Everything is squeaky clean and mixed really well. I think the vocals shine through and the instruments have a nice subdued sound that fits the mood of the album nicely. There are some shifts. “Nightmares” sticks out with the instruments being really amped up on this track. It’s a nice break from some of the more subdued tracks on the album. The album seems to be aimed at radio play and overall it feels fairly radio friendly. It’s weird though with artists who used to be acoustic acts that have turned full band. I always kind of want them to release an all-acoustic album again.

I think one downfall of the album is the cover album art that the band chose. I feel like it just doesn’t fit the album. I know I’m nitpicking about the artwork in a music review, but I feel like the overall presentation can affect the listen. Point in case The Dangerous Summer’s artwork for Reach For The Sun captured the vibe of that album. The artwork to Brand New’s The Devil And God Are Raging Inside Me captured the vibe of the album. That’s not so much the case with this album. I feel it’s kind of plain. I much prefer the artwork for Secondhand Serenade’s previous album A Twist In My Story, which I felt was overall pretty good artwork.

If you are a fan of Dashboard Confessional, you may have a love-hate relationship with this album. It’s the kind of album that if you played a song to someone they might think it could be a new Dashboard song and really enjoy it. Then when you let them know it’s not they instantly hate it. Similar to the days of An Angle and Bright Eyes.

Overall, I would say it is a decent pop album. Vesely definitely isn’t breaking any new ground and isn’t the most original songwriter. The lyrics at times feel weak and in certain spots are a little too repetitive (see “World Turns), but lyrically it has shiny spots. I don’t want to be too hard on the album. I always look forward to Secondhand Serenade albums in the same way I always looked forward to An Angle albums. I’m always waiting for the moment when the influences the artists draw from shed away and the artists start to shine as themselves.