I did something this week that I don't think I've done in ages - I broke the cellophane on an unopened 44-year old record. Just think of all that's come and gone in the life of this undisturbed vinyl relic. But it had to be done if I was to ever hear what Austin's
Secret Science were all about, as they're a veritable cold case online with no relevant mentions save for your standard
Discogs entry. Their first and only full length,
Pound Out, starts out promisingly enough with "Drive My Dreams" a catchy, swaying slice of homegrown synth/guitar rock, with inclinations to Devo, yet not-quite derivative of. "Filthy Pillows" plays like a more pedestrian Talking Heads outtake, and the penultimate "In the Trenches" bears a sturdy, sobering hue, hinting to what might have developed on subsequent records had S/S stuck it out a bit longer. Regrettably there's not much happening in-between the aforementioned, with an abundance of meandering, undercooked experiments and notions, merely flowing into one ear and out the proverbial autre. Nonetheless, I'm still content with my decision to rupture the seal on
Pound Out, and give it a whirl or two.
01. Drive My Dreams
02. Filthy Pillows
03. Shannon is Dead
04. Teenland
05. Dark Continent
06. Dog Dance
07. Twin Jet China
08. Three Minutes
09. It's Only Barbeque
10. In the Trenches
11. Save the World
