A Twist In My Story - Dark Publications

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
This follow-up to "Awake" finds Secondhand Serenade, a.k.a. John Vesely, adding to his signature raw vocals and guitar with orchestration and a full band. Produced by Danny Lohner (Nine Inch Nails) and Butch Walker (All American Rejects, Avril Lavigne), John crafts different styles of songs, taking you through the highs and lows of love and life. #1 unsigned MySpace.com artist seven consecutive months. iTunes "Next Big Thing" featured artist. Won Yahoo "Who's Next?" Clear Channel's "Artist To Watch".

Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Exactly what I was hoping it'd sound like February 19, 2008
4 out of 4 found this review helpful

I'm going to keep this short because I'd rather be listening to the cd. It's exactly what I was hoping it would sound like. The orchestration (sp?) really added to it. I wish he'd remake some other of his old songs because it sounds great.

Some of the tracks i skipped through the first time I now have gone back to and absolutely love. Too bad he isn't coming to Spokane!

4 out of 5 stars

Like Dashboard Confessional (for better or worse) February 24, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

I remember the first time I stumbled upon Vesely's Myspace page. I thought to myself, "This is what I've been waiting for." After two utterly disappointing Dashboard Confessional releases ("A Mark, A Mission..." and "Dusk and Summer"), tracks off of Vesely's "Awake" seemed to take me back to the simpler days of Dashboard, when it was just a man and his guitar, pure sincerity stripped of all pretension.

And so here I am today, listening to Vesely's latest offering, "A Twist in My Story." And, in a sad way, my original comparison to Dashboard Confessional may have been more on the mark than I once thought. The man and his guitar have been ripped through the production ringer, with the addition of every instrument to boot. That raw sincerity and charm of "Awake" isn't necessarily nonexistent, but you might have to sift through a couple of layers of "recording magic" to find it.

One thing you simply cannot take away from this album is that, for the most part, the songs have that remarkably moving quality that we've grown to love in Vesely's work. And for that, you'll love this album. Songs like "Fall for You," "Like A Knife," and "A Twist in My Story" are more than worth the price of admission. In fact, there's not a legitimately bad track on the whole album. So why the little rant at the beginning about Vesely going the way of Dashboard?

The most disappointing part of this release is the re-recordings. For one, it seems like somewhat of a copout to just re-record old songs. Really, that's three less new songs that Vesely had to write and that we got to hear. But more than that, some of the re-recordings just sound so lifeless when compared to their originals. Now, I'm not just some fanboy that indiscriminately prefers old over new. In fact, I almost enjoy the new version of "Maybe" more than the old version. But "Your Call," and to a lesser extent, "Stay Close, Don't Go," just simply didn't need to be re-recorded.

Remember that hip, new, high-budget remake of Romeo and Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio? If you don't, check out the $1 DVD bin at your local gas station. Point is, just because you throw money at something doesn't mean it'll be worth it's weight in salt. And that's exactly what is so tragic about the re-recording of "Your Call," and this whole album, really. With the money of a major label driving its production, of course the new version of "Your Call" sounds more crisp and clean than the original. And of course all of the songs on this album have that 'radio-ready' feel to them. But what you lose in the process is the sincerity, the raw sincerity of a man and his guitar. When that's what brought you to the dance in the first place, why go and change it?

So, is this album worth it? Yes. Absolutely. It's not just some pop-rock affair that's only good for one or two songs. It's a solid offering, start to finish. But fans of "Awake" shouldn't expect the same sound they've grown to love.

3 out of 5 stars

Maybe It's Just Me... March 5, 2008
4 out of 5 found this review helpful

Why, John, oh why? You just Dashboarded yourself into mediocrity! I first found Secondhand Serenade on MySpace and fell in love. It was Dashboard Confessional, but was fresh and with some of the best vocal range around. Each song was a story with acoustic guitar that had me singing along in no time and moving my head to the stripped down music. But now, John has twisted his sound to be...regular. Don't get me wrong, this is a good album. But it's not great. His vocals are still incredible and his range is unbelievable. But I think he needed to do one more mostly acoustic album (with a few full band songs) before his sound matured into this. I think it is too much of a change too soon. He went from all acoustic to basically none. Some songs work well: Like A Knife, Why, Stay Close Don't Go, and Twist in My Story. And some don't. I LOVED Maybe on the last album. But this one felt uninspired and inferior to the stripped down version. So did Your Call. His first album "Awake" seemed to somehow avoid the lyrical cliches that are so easy to fall into. This album is full of them - some lines are totally cheesy and/or creepy. With all that said, this is a 3 star album - some songs work, some songs don't. A lot of hits and a lot of misses. Maybe John will mix it up next album with a blend of acoustic and full band songs and be able to filter out what works and what doesn't. P.S. He was great live when I saw him last summer with Kill Hannah and Hawthorne Heights!

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent CD May 12, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I am obsessed with this albumn, I listen to it every day. The lyrics to each song are really meaningful and the vocals, music, etc. fit it perfectly. If you've heard the single "Fall for You" and enjoyed it, this entire CD is similar to that single. You can also keep it on low at work all day!

2 out of 5 stars

Ok Cd October 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

I bought this CD for one song (Fall For You) because I liked the way the band sounded, so I figured I'd like their other songs too. But I've listened to the CD twice, and all of the other songs sound relatively the same, and Fall For You is the only one I really like. I should have just downloaded the one song, instead of buying the whole CD.

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