Secret House Against the World [Import]

Buck 65 | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 11, 2005)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Import
• Label: Warner Classics UK
• ASIN: B0009RJP3M
• Also Available in: Audio CD
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #161,222 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Rough House Blues

2. Devil's Eyes

3. Le 65isme

4. The Suffering Machine

5. Surrender to Strangeness

6. Kennedy Killed the Hat

7. The Floor

8. Blood of a Young Wolf

9. Drunk Without Drinking

10. Blanc-Bec

11. Corrugates Tin Façade

12. Drawing Curtains

13. Devil's Eyes [Piano Version]

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Many artists claim to have been inspired by a variety of musical styles, yet their actual music seems to come in one genre and in one speed. Not Buck 65 (a.k.a. Rich Terfry). The Nova Scotia native has spent almost 20 years listening and to and playing music, influenced by everyone from Johnny Cash to Kiss. It shows--all coming together in his infectious musical style. Secret House Against The World can almost be split down the middle into two different categories: half of this disc is full-on, dark, twangy country (the first track, "Rough House Blues," could easily be mistaken for a '70s Cash number). The other style on his CD--exemplified by "Kennedy Killed The Hat" and "Devil's Eyes"--is an electro-pop/hip-hop fusion, with an almost Beck-meets-Frank-Zappa feel. In both styles, the lyrics shine through with cutting cleverness. "The Floor" is Buck 65 at his most candid, evoking Leonard Cohen-esque vocals as he takes on the subject of physical abuse, the somber tune lushly enhanced by everything from banjo to violin to DJ scratches. Since Buck 65's fans include members of Radiohead and Sloan, he seems to be well on his way up the ladder to success. Hype aside, Secret House Against the World is a wonderful, eccentric collection of frenzied beats and twisted country tunes that's likely to stay in your player for quite some time. --Denise Sheppard

Product Description

'Secret House Against The World' is the follow-up to the quite great 'Talkin' Honky Blues'. The album features a total of 13 tracks and was recorded in Chicago and Paris and features Tortoise and D-Style. 2005.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Contradiction, November 25, 2005

By 

Georgia (Toronto, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret House Against the World (Audio CD)

What North American culture lacks right now is celebration of the individual. We live in a world of conformity.

Buck 65 challenges this convention.

I have never heard anything like this before. There is nothing more contradictory than a guy who sounds like a white farmer with the vocabulary of a well-educated intellectual, the language of a poet and the rhythm of a rapper. His music is impressionistic, absurdist and fearless.

I have two confessions:
1. When I first heard Buck 65, I hated him.
2. I am now addicted to Buck 65. I get irritable and go into withdrawal.

Also I have a personal vendetta against conformity. And Buck 65 is an inspiration.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Some artists truly leave their mark whether noticed or un-noticed, July 24, 2006

By 

eternal now "roejoerrer" (mankato) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret House Against the World (Audio CD)

Secret House against the World is my first forray into Buck 65, and I have to say that this is one of the most intriguing and artistic albums I have ever heard. And the fact that it is coming from an emcee makes it even more amazing. The musicianship on this album isn't that particularly complex, and it doesn't have to be, its stunningly simplistic and beautiful. Obviously a throw back to the artists influences, I believe this is Buck's chance to show the world that he is not just a "rapper", but rather an artists in general. His creative force is supreme on this album and I would highly recommend this to everyone. There is a huge country influence on this album, more of the classic country(think highwaymen), and creates a sort of melencholy sound which is beautiful. Of course there are hip hop influences such as turntables and tight beats and the occasional flow, and folk influences and indie rock. Buck also displays his Canadian heritage through the French language, and being a Canadian myself, I really feel this. A must own in my books, but one that may fall on deaf ears, especially those who only have tastes for mainstream and pop hip hop and pop rap.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The most inventive yet, November 14, 2005

By 

alexliamw (New Haven, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Secret House Against the World (Audio CD)

Buck 65 just keeps reinventing himself with every new album, and 'Secret House Against The World' is perhaps the ultimate reinvention, with not a single track really describable as hip-hop (though it remains an influence). Buck's vocal style evolves a lot, continuing its pattern of becoming less and less like rap and more like beat poetry, with his voice getting deeper compared with his early work, and even with some singing this time. Almost every track takes a totally different direction, and a couple of nowhere near anything else he's done before. The lyrics continue to be superb. Because they're all so different, it's worth taking each track seperately:

Rough House Blues: A surprisingly effective blend of Cash-like black country (all cancered vocals, blues piano and insistent percussion) and hip-hop scratching.

Devil's Eyes: Angular chamber-pop, complete with vocodered sung vocals, jerky guitars and punchy strings.

Le 65isme: Insane - sounds like Gang of Four colliding with futuristic French electro.

The Suffering Machine: Dark folk, with a haunting, female-sung chorus.

Surrender To Strangeness: An inventive blend of a slightly more hip-hop-like beat, violin-and-piano landscapes, and a folky element.

Kennedy Killed The Hat: Totally unlike anything he's done - dizzying bass-heavy electro. Would go down a storm in an alternative club.

The Floor: Haunting piano with a beat-poet like delivery, pitch-black lyrics. Suddenly morphs towards the end into a beat that could have come off 'Square', with banjos and strings on top.

Blood Of A Young Wolf: An aching, heartbreaking track complete with lonely banjos and spaced-out guitar strums, featuring some of Buck's best lyrics.

Drunk Without Drinking: Sounds very similar to the Talkin' Honky style, but with a sung chorus that evokes everything from classic blues to Beck.

Blanc-Bec: A tribute to 80s metal (!), but needless to say its turned into something much trendier, with an electro influence.

Corrugated Tin Facade: The closest to a hip-hop track: could probably have fit onto 'Square'.

Drawing Curtains: A diversion into trip-hop! The heavily sexual interaction of whispered male and female vocals against a dark, rhythmic background and strings recalls Tricky very strongly.

Devil's Eyes (Piano): A French version against spiky piano. Sounds exactly like Tom Waits in this form.