Music Review: To The Secrets & The Knowledge
Posted March 23, 2010
By ChristianManifesto,
By Thomas Jenkins
GENRE: ALTERNATIVE
LABEL: TOOTH AND NAIL RECORDS
RELEASE DATE: FEBRUARY 2010
RATING 4 OUT OF 5
Number One Gun has an interesting story. There’s side projects with one person performing all the instruments, and there’s bands that simply break up. Although these two musical happenings don’t seem related at all, they both happened to Number One Gun. Everybody except one single member, Jeff Schneeweis, (Yes I’m pretty sure that’s the correct spelling) quit the band, leaving one sole fellow to continue the band’s future. From that time on, Number One Gun has released one album, The North Pole Project, and have recently completed another one, To the Secrets and Knowledge.
To the Secrets and Knowledge isn’t too different from the musical stylings of its predecessor, The North Pole Project. The airy guitars, the slight electronic meanderings, and the solid alternative and emo sound of Number One Gun are all here in abundance. “The Victory” starts the album off on a good note, and the tracks that follow it, “Big Machines” and “Forest” are also solid listens. “The People” is also an enjoyable song, with introspective, well written lyrics and a solid message Musically, it’s hard not to give Schneeweis credit for crafting and producing a complete album filled with well written songs all by himself. From the first few songs on the album, it’s clear that this man is a very talented musician, and that appearance doesn’t change as the album progresses. After the first listen to this album, I will admit I was a little unimpressed, but after giving it a second chance it grew on me, and now I can only describe it as a solid album. The songs all fit together well, and although this album certainly isn’t too accessible, like many other good albums it’s “A Grower” at least in my experience, and shouldn’t be written off after a premature listen.
There’s not much that holds this album back. At worst, a few songs can feel a bit forced, and others can seem to blend together a bit too much, but these issues are quite honestly small.
To the Secrets and Knowledge is an extremely well crafted album, and it’s the next step in the interesting journey of a solo singer/songwriter. Schneeweis deserves a lot of credit for continuing on without the rest of his band, and yet crafting music that’s worthy of that same band. Fans of the band won’t be disappointed, and if you’ve never heard of them (or him) then now would be the time. As a bonus, there’s even a solid cover of “Don’t Stop Believing”. What’s not to like?
Review copy provided courtesy of Tooth & Nail Records.
This review has been reprinted on NRT with permission from The Christian Manifesto. Click here to visit TheChristianManifesto.com today! View All Music And Book Reviews By ChristianManifesto | View ChristianManifesto's Profile
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