VLY is an international project brought to light by the opportunities afforded by the technology of today… a disparate and loosely connected group of musicians brought together by a series of thought processes and online links, covering the US, Britain, Italy and Sweden. The brainchild of Karl Demata (Crippled Black Pheonix), the digital airwaves brought his ideas to the ears, and subsequently voice, of Keith Gladysz and I / (TIME) (Lazers Edge) began to pull its threads together and weave the dreamcatcher of ideas that would form their debut.
With serene progressive rock as the spine, the ribs of the Frankenstein’s monster cover classic rock, lush textures, psychedelia, and singer-songwriter pop, as well as, on a track like ‘Hypnotic’, building swathes of vocal repetition to mirror the song title, while touches of Americana decorate ‘Dark Days’. The musicianship is exemplary as Italian keyswoman Elisa Montaldo steps from background adornments to the forefront and back again, with the delicate piano touches of ‘Time Remembered’ setting up the meandering ‘Silver Beeches’, or the wall of sound that accompanies the rockier and more substantial ‘Out Of The Maze’ filling and encompassing, her use of organ and synth sounds reminiscent of Richard Wright with some beautiful minor key selections and enhancements; indeed ‘Perfect Place’ is an eight minute tribute to Pink Floyd.
Playing in the same child’s playground of the heart as Tim Bowness, both lyrically and musically, VLY have found a way to marry progressive with emotive and to prove that collaboration can be successful and effective, even if carried out remotely, with individuals trusted to bring their own emotive footprint. While there are variants of style, in the main, clean guitars shimmer, Montaldo and Mattias Olsen create soundscapes to guide and Gladysz, vocally pitching somewhere between Geddy Lee and Papa Emeritus, is the hand to hold to walk us benignly through.
While several of the songs blur into one progressive post-rock psych-flecked confluence, at its best I / (TIME) is a varied and successful experiment. To truly capture the heart, perhaps emotions need to be played with more earnestly, but Demata and Gladysz should continue their experiment, for VLY should be viewed as nothing other than a success.
7.5/10
STEVE TOVEY
Having your LP go past the hour mark can be pretty daring these days, so to reach past 70 minutes must be the sign of great confidence and greater creative output. Primarily the musical vision of the multi-talented Justin Greaves, Crippled Black Phoenix, particularly on Great Escape (Season of Mist) doesn’t much care for traditional songwriting or popular convention. What you’ll find here is an assembly of amplified guitars, pulsing electronics, whispery vocals and somber beats.