Brooklyn – Secret Someones have made vocal harmonies a science. The voices of the indie band’s guitarist Bess Rogers, synth-player Hannah Winkler and bassist Lelia Broussard very possibly sound better live than they do on CD. While they all bring equal skill to the band and Winkler could surely sing Rogers’ part in “Chase Your Shadow” or Broussard could take Winkler’s part in “Dead Weight,” the three singers divvy up the role brilliantly. They swap the lead vocal role and layer up at all the right moments, always playing to each singer’s strength.
It’s no surprise that they were chosen to open along with NEULORE for Ingrid Michaelson at Central Park’s Summerstage in August. Michaelson has since called the band “like Weezer, but with boobies.” A comparison to Rivers Cuomo is a high compliment, especially from an artist who just went gold. Their performance at Summerstage was good, but their Rockwood Music Hall show as part of CMJ Music Marathon was even better. The band has really come into itself since that show and their summer tour. The band even managed to go where few bands dare to tread and play a Nirvana cover. They won’t draw any comparisons to Kurt Cobain anytime soon, but they pulled it off, opening the song with the apt comment, “Feel free to bang your heads or kick your neighbor.”
When it came to their own songs, the band played a mix of old songs as well as newer songs off of their new EP I Won’t Follow. The release is the band’s debut and was played through in its entirety, along with songs like “Surrender.” The song starts with all three women singing “Mmm. Ha!” in quick succession. The intro is catchy in the digital version, but the song is much punchier live. Broussard and Rogers split the rest of the vocal duties for the song. Zach Jones also deserves recognition for his drumming during this song. With an Andy Warhol-esque dye job, he set the perfect pace with his high hat and snare. His part wasn’t the most complex, but he created a good backdrop that allowed Winkler, Broussard and Rogers to do their thing. Plus he brought an energy and occasionally chipped in for the backing vocals. The band’s newest single, “I Won’t Follow,” is less electronic than songs like “Surrender” and doubly so in a live setting. For it Winkler stepped out from behind her synthesizer and picked up a guitar as well as the primary vocalist spot. Later in the set, Broussard stayed on the bass, but took the lead for “Let You Go.” The song also featured some soft vocals from Jones.
The strength of the set stemmed from the fact that the band didn’t replicate their CD nor could they have. It is near impossible to match the quality of post-production on stage. Perhaps because the band didn’t do too much doctoring in studio, but if they did they were still able to strip back their songs and create live versions that stood on their own. As a result, songs like “Surrender,” were played well, but also had a more organic feel. They weren’t as clean as the recorded versions, but live music never is. The band managed to adapt their sound well, which made their Rockwood appearance all the better.
Later this week, Secret Someones begin a brief tour of New Zealand and Australia.
Zoe Marquedant
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