The Second Sight – In The Grey (Album – 7US Music)
Genre/Influences: Electro-pop.
Format: Digital, CD.
Background/Info: The Second Sight got some recognition during the 90s and the early millennium years. Their last album “From The Dark Into The Sun” (2001) was an excellent work featuring the same-titled hit-song. The band finally decided to stop their activities, but in 2015 core members Alex Vlassakakis and Dierk Budde reactivated the project. A few singles have been released and “In The Grey” is the newest album.
Content: The Second Sight did what they’re good at: composing mature and accomplished electro-pop songs. The songs are pretty ‘classical’ featuring cool melody lines, catchy sequences, danceable kicks, deep bass lines and outstanding vocal parts. Next to the danceable cuts you also will find a few softer pieces, which are sometimes close to electronic ballads.
The album features 10 songs plus 4 bonus cuts. Among the bonus songs you’ll get 2 live edits featuring the ‘old’ song “Tomorrow” and an acoustic edit of “Make It On Your Own”.
+ + + : This album stands for the resurrection of an excellent electro-pop band. The production of the vocals is impressive; music and vocals together often result in an elevating sensation. The composition properly speaking is quite accomplished as well. The Second Sight hasn’t lost their initial skills to write efficient electro-pop. The sound formula is quite a familiar one, but when the songs are crafted with knowledge and passion you only, but can expect a fully enjoyable work. I like most of the bass lines and especially the most danceable songs make the magic of this opus. It’s also pure enjoyment rediscovering an old song like “Tomorrow” as a live-bonus.
– – – : I’m not a huge fan of the softer songs such as “Who Are They” and “Moments Like This”. The acoustic version of “Make It On Your Own” can’t convince me either.
Conclusion: The Second Sight is a band that got lost from the electro-pop radars, but it’s such a good thing to see them striking again with this excellent new work.
Best songs: “Nothing New”, “Stream Your Life”, “Delicate Balance”, “A Place Called Home”, “Born On The Wrong Side” + “Tomorrow – Live”.
Rate: (7½).
Artist: www.thesecondsight.de / www.facebook.com/thesecondsight
Label: www.sevenus.de/7music / www.facebook.com/7usMusic
About The Second Sight
The Second Sight is a German electro-pop act built around singer Alex Vlassakakis and composer Dierk Budde. The band gained recognition in the late 1990s and early 2000s, notably with its third album, “From The Dark Into The Sun” (2001), whose title song became a genre hit. The Second Sight split up after that record and reactivated in 2015, releasing several singles before “In The Grey” via 7US Music. Vlassakakis discussed the band’s split and return in a Side-Line Click Interview published shortly after this album.
Support Side-Line
More people read Side-Line than ever, and there is still no paywall and no advertising. Readers pay for it instead - from $5 a month.
Why we ask
Advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. Unlike many news organisations we have not put up a paywall, and we refuse to add annoying advertising, so we need to ask for your help. Side-Line’s independent journalism takes time, money and hard work to produce, and we do it to push the artists we like, who are equally fighting to survive.
Handled by PayPal.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
