Telling Secrets to Strangers

Self Against City | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (January 9, 2007)
• Original Release Date: 2007
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Drive-Thru
• ASIN: B000KGH08E
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #202,318 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

About the Artist

For some people, the main goals are a pimped out ride and a pimped out life. Ask Self Against City lead singer Jonathan Temkin about his goals and he tells a very different story. "People are searching for something to make themselves complete," he says. "If we can inspire people with our music, I can die a happy person." Temkin may be on to something, especially in light of Self Against City's revelatory new Drive-Thru/Rushmore CD Telling Secrets to Strangers.

Produced by Steven Haigler (Pixies, Fuel), the songs on the album were written by Temkin and guitarist Jack Matranga. The two sketched out every progression and guitar riff in advance. The prep time paid off, as a seamless cohesion ties the album together. "Every song is a chapter," says Temkin, "a summation of everything we went through in the last year."

He's referring to rock `n' roll grad school, i.e., touring a big country in a small van. Every triumph and misbegotten adventure has been converted into song, starting with "Becoming a Monster," a punch-drunk rocker Temkin calls "our mission statement." The track exemplifies the band's signature sound: buzzsaw guitars, choppy rhythms and Temkin's trip-wire vocals. "We want to be energetic and melodic at the same time," says Matranga. "But we didn't want just one song repeated ten times on the record."Though the band made a big impression with their 2005 Rushmore debut EP "Take It How You Want It," the origins of Self Against City stretch back further. The son of a single mother, the Texas-born Temkin grew up in Hawaii, Germany and northern California, raised mostly by a loving aunt and uncle.

He was given access to all kinds of musical instruments and became proficient on several. But it was a Matchbox 20 concert in Frankfurt that proved the tipping point. "Something changed in me," he remembers, "and I said, `That's what I'm gonna do.' From then on I begged for a guitar and at 15 I finally got one."

Temkin moved back to California's Central Valley and started playing guitar in various bands, one of which anointed him lead singer, even though he'd never sung in his life. Turned out, he was good at it. He also started writing songs, but the big break came in 2003 when he met Matranga and LaTour. "I spent every waking second figuring out what we needed to do to get the band together," he says. "I was with musicians who wanted exactly the same thing as me."

Jack Matranga had a very different upbringing from Temkin: living in the same home his whole life, parents happily married. But the two clicked right away as songwriting partners and performers. "He's nuts," says Matranga of his friend. "I feed off of him. When we first started writing, we'd hop in the band room, turn on the amp and mold a song. Our confidence has grown since then."

Bassist Patrick O'Connor and drummer Chris Trombley rounded out the line-up of Self Against City (the name came from Temkin mishearing a DJ announce the Bowie classic "Suffragette City"). The band cut a few demos, posting two on PureVolume. Those tracks caught the ear of Drive-Thru co-founders Richard Reines and Stefanie Reines, who kept tabs on the band's progress. Only five months after officially forming, the band had their Rushmore deal, and soon enough a debut EP. Buoyed by rave reviews, Self Against City toured the U.S. as well as performed at the CMJ convention. All the while, they were thinking ahead to the new CD. "We're a high energy rock band," says Matranga, "but we wanted to write something a little bit deeper."

Product Description

Self Against City will release their first full-length album, Telling Secrets To Strangers on January 9, 2007. Hailing from Sacramento CA, this pop group created a nice buzz for themselves with their 2004 EP Take It How You Want It. Produced by Steven Haigler (The Pixies, Fuel) Telling Secrets To Strangers is full of what Self Against City does best: melodic indie-pop songs with big guitars and lead singer Jonathan Michael's trip-wire vocals. The band's been schooled in rock n' roll university, i.e., touring a big country in a small van, and every triumph and misbegotten adventure has been converted to song. Beginning the album with their self-ascribed mission statement Becoming A Monster, peaking with the tuneful-guitar centered Disappearing Act, and ending with Back To Our Innocence, a full-circle rocker that serves as the perfect grace note.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Self Against City's "Telling Secrets To Strangers"-Get Your Copy TODAY!!, January 9, 2007

By 

Lisa Orlando (New Orleans, LA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling Secrets to Strangers (Audio CD)

"Telling Secrets To Strangers" is the debut album from the Sacramento pop rock band Self Against City. Self Against City's first EP was released on Rushmore Records in 2005 titled "Take It How You Want It", but "Telling Secrets To Strangers" will definetly take the band's reputation to a whole new level. For the most part, this album is made up of catchy songs with infectious choruses that will have you singing along and dancing to the music such as "Becoming A Monster", "Ready And Willing", and "Disappearing Act". If you're a fan of happy, upbeat music, this album is a must have. Of course, in addition to those poppy songs we all love, there are a few slower songs such as "Smooth Silver", "Yours Isn't The First", and "Back To Our Innocence". Every component of every song is perfectly composed to make a beautiful album that will impact everyone it reaches in a very positive way. I reccommend picking up this album to anyone who loves a great pop rock album to listen to in the car, at home, at work, or anytime of the day.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars don't keep this CD a secret!, January 17, 2007

By 

Licia (PA, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Telling Secrets to Strangers (Audio CD)

Self Against City packs a powerful punch with this CD. They present classic pop punk music with smart, intense lyrics. They're an amazing band and if you're a fan of any other pop punk artists, check out this CD!

5.0 out of 5 stars Cream of the Crop, May 30, 2009

By 

B. Norris (North Carolina) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Telling Secrets to Strangers (Audio CD)

Self Against City is my personal selection for "Most Underrated Band of 2007". Amazing vocal talent and so-catchy-it-hurts choruses carry this album above and beyond what you would expect from a band you've never heard of. There's not a single song to skip on this cd and you'll find yourself singing along fairly quickly. SAC blend fast paced pop-punk with slow, sincere jams effortlessly and beautifully. Get this disc asap, and you can thank me later.

PS: Come on, guys, when's the new cd coming out???