The seemingly sudden renaissance of emo music has been defined by some phenomenal labels. It's hard to see this emo revival reaching the heights it has without the efforts of excellent labels like Topshelf and Tiny Engines. Yet one of my favorite labels that I believe has been underappreciated in this movement is Michigan's Triple Deke Records. Not only does it have possibly the best name in the scene, but it's worked with some killer bands in its short run. The Fever Haze and Wayne Szalinski released to of my favorite under-the-radar albums of 2014. Runaway Brother's moved on to Tiny Engines, and their upcoming album is one of my most anticipated of this year. The first major project from the label is Secret Grief's The Sea of Trees, and the album continues their strong run.
Secret Grief is actually fronted by Triple Deke founder Scott Nelson. The band's earliest iterations were as Tiger! Tiger!, and has been slowly evolving since 2008. Tiger! Tiger! broke up in 2013, and Secret Grief was born. The Sea of Trees marks their first full-length LP, though they've also released a few singles and a split with Runaway Brother to hold fans over. The wait was definitely worth it, as The Sea of Trees is the best release the band's done as Secret Grief or Tiger! Tiger!
I think what makes a lot of emo bands great is versatility. Some bands can get so caught up in twinkly rock that their albums don't really go anywhere. My favorite emo bands incorporate that style into other forms. Versatility is what made The Hotelier's Home, Like NoPlace Is There my favorite record of last year. It had elements of emo, pop punk, hardcore, and folk all throughout to keep things fresh. The Sea of Trees is similar in that regard. On each song Secret Grief blend influences to create a diverse collection of 8 tracks. Opener "Do Not Stand At My Grave and Weep" starts with a little bit of a pop punk vibe that reminded me of bands like Say Anything or Motion City Soundtrack. "The Black Horse of Night" and "Faking Orgasms" bring comparisons of post-hardcore acts such as Cursive and Thrice. Brand New's influence can be heard throughout the album, but especially on tracks like "Historical Insignificance" and "Daisy." There's even some more post-rock-y stuff with the way the long closer "Aokigahara" continuously builds to a grand finale.
The band's influences can be easily detected on the record, but that by no means takes away from the end result. Secret Grief mold those influences to create their own sound. The band members are experts at their craft, and create countless brilliant moments on the record. The lead-up to the saxophone solo that ends "Do Not Stand..." is a perfect introduction to The Sea of Trees. The harmonies on "Montauk" are absolutely killer. "Aokigahara" just piles on the devastation and pain until it fades away.
The Sea of Trees is another strong effort from Triple Deke, as well as the already exceptionally great start to the year so far. Hopefully this album will bring some more attention to the band and the label as a whole, as its deserved for a few years already.
4/5
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