Various Artists: Secret Love 4
By
Evan Sawdey 14 May 2008
PopMatters Interviews Editor
Sonar Kollektiv intends its Secret Love series to be a multi-faceted exploration of the possibilities of folk music, but really it’s just a collection of damn good songs, perfect for night time driving or isolated longing. Though Paul Weller’s political intonations at the end of “The Loved” feel a bit out of place and Andrew Bird’s “Imitosis” feels curiously poppy given its somewhat morose surroundings, overall we’re treated to track after track of fantastic indie folk-pop: Midlake’s “Roscoe” is given a highly effective keyboard remix, Roebeck’s “Atlantic” pleasantly reminds you of Zero 7’s earlier works, Little Dragon’s “Twice” is lush piano balladry in the same vein as Radiohead’s “Pyramid Song” and Eva Be’s “She Walks Alone” doesn’t as much grab your attention as it does demand it with its upfront acoustic pickings and effectively plainspoken vocals. It’s not going to top any critical year-end poll, but if you’re in the right kind of mood, Secret Love 4 is the kind of secret that you can’t help but passionately love.
Evan Sawdey began contributing to PopMatters in late 2005 after contributing for years to his college newspaper
The Knox Student. Evan became the Associate Interviews Editor for PopMatters in the summer of 2008, and then the full Interviews Editor a year after that. Since joining, Evan's work has been quoted/featured in a wide array of publications including SLUG Magazine, The Metro (U.K.), the Gulf Times, Soundvenue Magazine (Denmark), and multiple national newspapers. Evan has been a guest on WNYC's Soundcheck (an NPR affiliate), was the Executive Producer for the
Good With Words: A Tribute to Benjamin Durdle album (available for free at
GoodWithWordsAlbum.com), and wrote the liner notes for the 2011 re-release of
Andre Cymone's hit 1985 album A.C. (Big Break Records) as well as the re-release of
the JoBoxers' 1983 debut album Like Gangbusters (Hot Shot Records). He is a current member of The Recording Academy. He resides in Chicago, Illinois. You can follow him
@SawdEye should you be so inclined.