Short Reviews [Clark's Secret Identity - 2017 - "Retrouvaille"]

US threesome CLARK'S SECRET IDENTITY was formed by drummer Matthew Banks at the start of 2014, and since then they have released one album and two EP's. "Retrouvaille" is the most recent of the latter, and was issued at the tail end of 2017. It is always interesting to follow a band developing towards finding their true form, and from what I can gather Clark's Secret Identity is a nice chapter onward for this still rather fresh band. The opening trio of songs in particular give a good impression, at first a ballad with Americana details, hard rock chops, ghostly Mellotron details and a nice little effective underlying horror feel to it, complete with raven cries, which is followed by a jazzrock meets hard rock excursion that is rather charming at it's best. The subtle swamp horror of third cut The Promise of a Wonderful nature also comes out as an intriguing affair. The two concluding cuts, one atmospheric laden brief interlude followed by a more indie rock tinged creation that reminds me more of the band's not quite as impressive debut album, comes across as less impressive though. Still, that first threesome showcase this band very well indeed, in my opinion. The lead vocals are an occasional weak spot though, and will not be enjoyed by all and sundry. Personally I wonder if this is down to vocal technique, that the voice is powered by the vocal chords rather than powered through the vocal chords. Clark's Secret Identity remains a band hard to categorize and with few really obvious references. On this occasion we are treated to art rock with an underlying subtle horror atmosphere on two cuts, hard jazzrock in one, and art-tinged indie rock for the remaining two cuts. Where the former two are the most impressive in my book.