Description
The Valley is the third full-length album by the American indiepop band Eisley, released on Equal Vision Records in March 2011. The album was recorded by Austin Deptula and Gary Leach with the band at Rosewood Studio in Tyler, Texas; with Deptula and Leach producing. Mixed by Andy Freeman at Bay Area Tone in Tyler, Texas.
After a 4 year break in which the ups and downs of the music business, as well as personal peaks and valleys, threatened to take the soul of the band, Eisley returns with the aptly titled, ‘The Valley’. Never completely at ease with the concessions often required from a major label deal, Eisley find themselves on an independent label that lets the group hone in on what they do best: create radio-friendly pop songs infused with just-odd-enough metaphors and orchestrated, mature arrangements. Taking inspiration from the personal AND professional struggles of the past 4 years, many of the songs relate the bitterness and resentment that come with a broken relationship, while showing the first tentative steps toward recovery. Contrasting the stark honesty and raw relatability of the lyrics are songs that are fraught with melodic possibility. Airy, lush vocal harmonies buttress the almost baroque arrangements, and cranky guitars make an occasional appearance to lend earthiness to the frothy pop atmosphere. The dichotomy of these extremes serves to illuminate the process of finding hope and light in the midst of trials that point towards despair. The result is very therapeutic and gives insight into both the human condition, as well as the sometimes-distasteful machinations of the music industry. [Shawn McLaughlin, Christian Musician, May/June 2011]
Although Laughing City is the name of Eisley’s online community, the Texas-based band’s new project, The Valley, is no laughing matter. As cliché as this might sound, The Valley is not only Eisley’s most mature work to date but it’s a passionate, mature, artistic rock/pop statement that just might be the defining moment for this quintet that had been known as much for its quirky surrealist leanings as for the fact that this was pretty much a sister (and one brother) act. The first part made them an acquired taste, the second might have minimized their potential audience based on a perceived lack-of-cool.
It seems that everything has changed. Well, a lot of things, anyway. The details are not the issue here, but let’s say that life has recently put members of the band through some heavy-duty changes, and what often happens with artists has happened: pain gives way to art. Without question, there’s much pain on this project but there’s also hope and a sense of optimistic romanticism, a quality that always seemed to linger just under the surface of even the earliest Eisley songs. The Valley gives us Eisley in a more aggressive, passionate, world-wise form than anyone could have expected, musically, lyrically, and in terms of the performance. Dorothy, we’re not in Trolleywood anymore….
The title track begins startlingly, with in-your-face staccato strings and a totally up-front vocal: “Real heartbreaker come and take me / to the real heartache that everyone’s talkin’ ’bout / You see me then you don’t – but get it right, I don’t believe in magic.” Hmmm. Quite a change from the «Marvelous Things» days: “I awoke the dawn / Saw horses growing out the lawn Ah, ah, ah / I glimpsed a bat with butterfly wings / Oh, what marvelous things.” In a mirror-image to John Lennon’s turn-around from a string of ‘I don’t believe’ statements from «God», to the ‘I believe, yes, I believe’ chorus of «Number 9 Dream», it seems as if Eisley has gone from an embrace of idealism to an encounter with some harsh life-realities, the driving force of the bass, the attack of the guitar and the thunder of the drums as the whole band kicks in seems to say, ‘we’re back and we’re here to play, so look out.’ This is a Texas-sized sound from Eisley!
The sibling voices still fit hand-in-glove with one another, still featuring unusual, sometimes haunting harmony but now featuring a more lead vocal plus back-up format. Where one might’ve once compared the vocal style to Lee Nash (Sixpence None the Richer), perhaps it’s the maturity of the subject matter that now brings a slightly less-domesticated Sara Groves to mind.
The Valley showcases a more powerful, emotional Eisley: sometimes sounding painfully sad («Sad«, «Please»), sometimes a little angry («Smarter»), always reflective. Stacy (keyboards and vocals), Sherri (guitars and vocals), and Chantelle (guitars and vocals) have added a degree of grit to their repertoire while Garron’s bass is solidly played and mixed richly into the sound and Weston’s drumming, powerful and effective through the whole album, really displays some explosive breaks on «Better Love» and «Ambulance». Is Mute Math‘s Darren King’s influence taking effect? Jacqueline Morant (violin), Susan Dubois (violin), Thomas Demer (viola), Deborah Brooks (cello) provide earthy, intimate strings on several tracks, with Jeremy Larson lending a hand in the string department on «Kind», a piano and bass centered ballad that comes at exactly the right time and in the right place on this intense album.
Musically the most radio-friendly track, the gloomily titled «Watch it Die» isn’t exactly the feel-good song of the year with lyrics like ‘my love for you has died tonight,’ but it’s an infectious tune nonetheless. Every song on The Valley is a great listen, with the unmistakable Eisely sound fully realized and stronger than ever before. Kudos to producers Gary Leach and Austin Deptula for keeping the sound fat and deep, for not compromising the integrity of these five artists from Texas who have gone walking through some emotional valleys and come out stronger on the other side.
The Valley is a strong album, a defining statement, and simply a great pop album with plenty of edge, great playing, passionate delivery and emotional depth. Eisley’s latest effort is without question the strongest work they’ve ever done and should delight long-time fans and make many new ones. [Bert Saraco, The Phantom Tollbooth, 2011]
> Apple Music (https://music.apple.com/us/album/the-valley-deluxe-version/491602394)
CD tracklist:
01. The Valley – 3:17
02. Smarter – 3:17
03. Watch It Die – 3:09
04. Sad – 3:20
05. Oxygen Mask – 3:22
06. Better Love – 3:20
07. I Wish – 3:55
08. Kind – 3:03
09. Mr. Moon – 3:54
10. Please – 3:31
11. Ambulance – 4:00
Note: Simultaneously released on 12-inch vinyl LP and CD by Equal Vision Records. 1st vinyl pressing of 1000 are red transparent. (This edition contained the whole album on CD as well). 2nd pressing of 1000 copies on blue transparent with black swirl vinyl, released in June 2011.
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