Seja
We Have Secrets But Nobody Cares
13 Track, LP (2010, Rice Is Nice)
Related: Sekiden, Seja Vogel, Seja.
Brisbane’s Seja Vogel has been accumulating analogue organs and synths for years, both as a hobby and for use in various bands. It’s no surprise then that her instrument of choice is deeply enmeshed on her debut album, We Have Secrets But Nobody Cares – it’s even singled out on the cover. Layers of celestial melodies, fuzzy tones and programmed beats intersect all over this record, while Vogel’s songwriting oscillates between pensive confession and squirrelly cheer.
For every two songs like the radiant opener ‘I’ll Get To You’ and the sublime offering of unconditional love that is ‘Through The Backstreets’, there’s a more static ballad like ‘One Year Later’ that borders on lullaby. But the morphing nature of the synths helps us along, and Vogel’s lyrics and especially her vocal melodies resonant throughout. After the early highlights of ‘Fire This Fuel’ and the Broadcast-ish ‘Delay’, Vogel delivers a sort of slow-motion chorus on ‘A Million Wheels’ that sums up the album’s ethereal atmosphere and romantic overtures.
Having played keys on tour with the Mess Hall and Spod and full-time in Regurgitator and Sekiden, Vogel hasn’t turned her back on collaboration. Her brother and Sekiden bandmate Mirko produced, mixed and mastered Secrets. He’s also crafted beats alongside Regurgitator’s Quan on the more rocking ‘Sing Me The Song Like You Said’. Rival Flight’s Saul Jarvis sings with a cool vagueness on ‘Framed You In Fiction’, while Cameron Bruce lends fragile piano to ‘Between A Slur’. Another welcome change-up is the title track ‘Wir Haben Geheimnisse’. Sung in Vogel’s native German – her family moved to Australia when she was eight – it’s delivered in a deadpan sigh that evokes Stereolab.
An insular, reflective record bursting with breathtaking pop melodies, Secrets seems designed for dancing around the bedroom more than at the club. It’s also a much-deserved spotlight on Vogel, who has come into her own at long last.
by Doug Wallen
What: Seja’s We Have Secrets But Nobody Cares.
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cool. Looking forward to hearing this.
Check out the promo vid made by Spod,
I miss Sekiden, they were about as fuzztastic as it got.
I'm digging the shit out of this record.
i wanted this. the guy at the record store didn't know what i was talking about. i got weird looks.
I can't find it anywhere either.
Shoppe.
boughtte