Valleyheart - Everyone I’ve Ever Loved (Rise Records, December 14, 2018) Album • Page 9

I feel like EIEL was a really solid B+ album for me. I was super into the themes and the musical ideas, but felt that lyrics sometimes became a little too edgy and musically it could have used some refinement at some points. I’ll definitely check out new stuff and I would love to see them put out something that just hits it out of the park completely.

 

what are some of the lyrics you would consider edgy? Ive felt and thought or gone through with what the lyrics pertain to so they hit home a lot for me but interested to hear your thoughts

 

Yeah I don't think the lyrics are edgy at all. I think they're a pretty fair criticism of evangelical Christianity, especially the prosperity gospel.

 

Yeah, I don’t understand the edgy comment at all.

 

Not trying to insult people who were able to connect to it more than me! It’s totally cool if it really resonated with you!

I guess I kinda felt it was a little too “I’m bad and I drink and smoke so God can’t love me” at times, which i know is a huge reduction of what the album actually says, but I felt like it came off a little showy as opposed to genuine at times. Like I can relate to the themes and I don’t mean to suggest that struggling with those things is childish or not valid, because these are all really heavy and personal feelings to go through. It’s not the content that bothered me at all. I think all the things he says are fine (and even if I didn’t, I don’t know that I would be able to critique him for feeling different than me), but the way he says them is where something just feels off to me.

It just comes off with a subtle kind of pride in those feelings to me. And reusing that traditional melody in the last song (despite the very deep meaning behind those words and even that choice) felt a little too close to being corny to me, even though I think it’s a really moving song for the most part.

Like I love the idea of this record, but I feel there was some mistakes in the execution that give it a slight bit of a “guilty pleasure” feeling with it to me. I still listen to it pretty frequently and there’s definitely songs on here that I think are pretty consistently great and don’t suffer from these problems.

 

That totally makes sense! Hope my comment didn’t come across critical. I know for some people their life experience might be different so the lyrics won’t have as a big impact or come across different. For me growing up in the church, all of those things were considered “bad”. Even though I’ve had ups and downs with my faith, there was a lot of guilt associated with doing things that were considered “bad” so I think that’s why the lyrics check the mark for me and hit. I think maybe if I was a little older and past those things more they wouldn’t hit as much, but where I’m at and still can be it hits hard

 

Wow, we have two very different opinions of this album lol. I felt so wholeheartedly he was being genuine throughout. That's kind of why it hasn't left my regular rotation since it came out, I really connected to what I feel is authenticity and genuine reflection.

Showed it to my partner who is arguably more into it than I am, she comes from a conservative Christian background and this album hits hard for her. Interesting how we got the opposite out of it aha.

 

I don’t really see the disingenuous thing, but I can definitely see how someone might be turned off by the lack of subtlety, especially if the subject matter isn’t something that (the hypothetical) you can’t personally relate to

 

I thought about this too when I was typing it out! That maybe those things are focused on as a critique of how some Christian circles fixate on them. Idk, maybe being raised Catholic is keeping me from connecting with it because there isn’t as heavy as a focus on that stuff (Other sects make fun of us for it all the time lol).

lol I swear I still really like the album! My problems with it are really subtle, so it’s hard to describe it without exaggerating the issue a bit. Maybe I just had a little bit of a different background that doesn’t connect with it as much.

Ya’ll might like Sinai Vessel’s Brokenlegged if you haven’t given it a shot yet. Reminds me a lot of the themes in this album, but I was able to connect a little more with that one for some reason. Give “Dogs” a shot and then maybe “Looseleaf” if you’re feeling it.

Noah Gunderson’s “Jesus, Jesus” also comes to mind!

 

Honestly, this might be it! I think the subjects and themes are great (I really connect to religious doubt music lol), but maybe I just needed a little more poeticism or refined writing for it to hit.

 

My only gripe with it after a couple of years is that they went a little too heavy on the big explosive moments. Kinda takes the gas out of it when they’re reaching some huge climax like almost every song. And the few exceptions are kinda snoozers imo, like Dissolve. Hopefully they can find a way to write some interesting softer songs on this next go so their bigger parts will have more impact

edit: not Dissolve, meant Your Name

 

Nah that's fair! Music has so many variables, it's not gonna hit us all the same.

Thanks for the suggestion, I will definitely check it out!

 

I think Dissolve is my favorite one on here

EDIT: Also I love the big explosive moments. It feels like Manchester Orchestra worship, and I am here for it.

 

Oh shit I did not mean Dissolve. That obviously is one of the many explosive ones hahah. I meant to say Your Name!

And yeah I love them too, just wish it wasn’t the blueprint for like 90% of the record. Gets to feeling very repetitive imo. Even Manchester reserves those moments!

 

New song called “T.I.K” releasing today per Instagram

also looks like they might have a new label releasing music - Honey Pot Records

 

Oh shit little googling help me find it

 

I thought it was out tomorrow. Not what I expected. Kinda reminds me of the nowadays EP in that it’s a bit heavier (this is less of a citizen ripoff than that tho). Big Manchester orchestra vibes tho

 

shit, you are right I thought today was already Friday, I’m messed up on my days lol

 

Valleyheart Serve Up Existential Dread—and a Laundry Detergent Sandwich—in “T.I.K.” « American Songwriter

 

certified banger

 

By far their most impressive track instrumentally. The bass line in those verses fucking rips, and that weird ass time signature in the bridge is so cool coming off such a headbanger of a chorus. Really really happy with this

This gives me very heavy Balance and Composure feelings, like TTWTWM era. I think those super reverberating vocals are a big part of that

 

I also love the decision to just make the third chorus instrumental. Shakes things up in a really nice way

 

This is so good. The way the song goes full instrumental from the bridge on and mimics the chorus... I actually can't think of another song that does that the way this song does? Really unique, but it works perfectly.

 

It turns into more of a solo in the second half, but Quake by Balance and Composure does it really well. Maybe that’s another reason why this track reminds me of them haha. And my ass basically ripping them off as hard as I could in like 2012 wrote a song that did it too lmao

 

love the song, can't wait to hear the whole EP/LP whenever that comes out.