The Past Is A Foreign Land

The Secret History
Genre: Indie / Glam / Melodramatic Popular Song From: New York City, New York, United States

The Secret History was formed in 2007 by songwriter Michael Grace Jr., best known for acclaimed cult indie pop band My Favorite and also features vocalist (cue shameless name dropping) Lisa Ronson, daughter of Bowie guitarist, and glamrock legend Mick Ronson.

The Secret History continues as a vehicle for Grace’s myth and monster laden song writing, which unfolds across cinematic landscapes…part New York in the late 1970s, part Sicily at the turn of the last century, part Nowhere. The sound itself, created by longtime collaborators Darren Amadio on guitar, Todd Karrasik on drums, Gil Abad on bass, and Kurt Brondo on keys, is a kind of continental art rock, combining the rainy jangles of C86, the stomp of glam, the innocence of the girl groups, and the anxiety of disco. Comparisons to Roxy Music, The Patti Smith Group, Felt and The Smiths scratch the surface. The words form the libretto of a mope rock opera, concerning the members of a fictional band called The Haunted Hearts. Their stories parallel Grace’s own, whose decade long relationship with My Favorite’s vocalist disintegrated in 2001, to be followed shortly after by the disintegration of the band…which had consumed his entire adult life.

The band's debut ep 'Desolation Town' is full of religious references from lead track 'It’s Not The End of The World, Jonah' to the biblical meditation on the death of music of 'Mark & John (Bring on The Glitter Kids)' and the painted saints of the ep's final track 'Our Lady of Pompeii' a deep tale of the alienation of an Iraq War soldier.

Other tracks on the EP include the no wave psychedelia of 'Obelisk' and Spector-esque slab of anthem pop of 'The Ballad of The Haunted Hearts' which is a beautiful marriage of 'Still Ill' and 'Like a Rolling Stone' .

Go Try

MP3 - The Secret History - The Ballad Of The Haunted Hearts
MP3 - The Secret History - Our Lady Of Pompeii
MP3 - The Secret History - It's Not The End Of The World, Jonah
If anyone from the IFPI is reading these tracks are published with the permission of Fanatic Promotion so please refrain from alleging infringement of copyright.

Go Visit

The Secret History - Myspace // Blogsite
Label - Le Grand Magistery // Le Grand Magistery Myspace

Go View

The Secret History
Our Lady of Pompeii




If you like these you'll love Michael Grace's new band...

MP3 - My Favorite - Berlin
MP3 - My Favorite - Le Monster
If anyone from the IFPI is reading these tracks are linked direct from Lost Detective.Com and are therefore freely available so please refrain from alleging infringement of copyright.