Secret Shine - There is Only Now

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 12 / 6 / 2017

---

Despite hailing from Manchester, a city with an undeniably rich musical history, my heart has always been drawn more to the sounds coming out of Bristol over the last 30 or so years. As such Secret Shine have appeared on my radar before and I bought their early singles back in the 1990’s when they were signed to Bristol’s Sarah Records label. Unfortunately, they may have been overlooked by many who wrongly deemed all bands on Sarah to be anorak wearing nerds only capable of making weedy twee shambling indie-pop music. In fact Secret Shine’s music was and still is harder, more textured and very much in keeping with the “Shoegaze” tag that was adorned to so many bands that surfaced in between C86 and Britpop. Indeed had Secret Shine been on Creation Records, the home of a number of like-minded souls at the time, they may well be feted now in the same way that Slowdive or Ride are. With a wonderful wall of guitar sound (courtesy of Scott and Dean Purnell) underpinned by Tom Adams solid drum work, Jamie Gingell and Kathryn Smith provide intertwined dreamy vocals. The result is a thing of haunting beauty, an album of relentless quality that demands to be played loud and devoured in one greedy sitting. It’s hard to pick a highlight, but current single 'Falling Again' probably just shades it, though opening track 'Burning Stars' and 'Drift Away'are also worthy contenders. Forget the past, There Is Only Now is the future!

Track Listing:-

1 Burning Stars
2 All in Your Head
3 Dirty Game
4 Drift Away
5 To the Well
6 For You
7 Snowglobe
8 Falling Again
9 Things I Said
10 Make Me You

Band Links:-

https://en-gb.facebook.com/secretshine/
https://secretshine.bandcamp.com/
https://twitter.com/SecretShineUK

Label Links:-

http://saintmarierecords.limitedrun.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Saint-Marie-Records-164080190305178
https://twitter.com/StMarieRecords
https://www.youtube.com/user/stmarierecords/videos
https://instagram.com/saintmarierecords/
https://plus.google.com/101156744740824013197

Post A Comment

---

Comment

Name

your name

Location

ie London, UK

Submit

Check box to submit

Adam Coxon
Adrian Janes
Amanda J. Window
Andrew Twambley
Anthony Dhanendran
Benjamin Howarth
Cila Warncke
Daniel Cressey
Darren Aston
Dastardly
Dave Goodwin
Denzil Watson

Dixie Ernill
Dominic B. Simpson
Eoghan Lyng
Fiona Hutchings
Harry Sherriff
Helen Tipping
Jamie Rowland
John Clarkson
Julie Cruickshank
Kimberly Bright
Lisa Torem
Maarten Schiethart

Malcolm Carter
Marie Hazelwood
Mark Rowland
Nick Dent-Robinson
Nicky Crewe
Nige Nudds
Philamonjaro
Richard Lewis
Shirley Procter
Spencer Robertshaw
Steev Burgess
Steve Kinrade

Steve Miles
Tommy Gunnarsson
Zena Grieg