Valentine was recorded in Nashville by Brad Jones, who has worked with artists like Josh Rouse, Jill Sobule and Marshall Crenshaw. Hiders singer/songwriter/guitarist Billy Alletzhauser first crossed Jones’ path as a member of The Ass Ponys, who worked with Jones on a few albums.|Hovering in the Americana-sphere around artists from Neil Young and The Band to newer acts like Sparklehorse and The Thrills, Valentine is, in a word, mesmerizing. Alletzhauser, bassist Victor Strunk and drummer Todd Drake are also with atmospheric Indie faves Ruby Vileos, and if you know that band you’ll have some sense of the warm, celestial glide prevalent on the album (singer Beth Harris and guitarist/pedal steeler Toby Ellis round out the lineup, while Dave Gilligan lends harmonica and Tyler Ramsey plays keys and guitar on the album). On opener “Everything I Wanted,” Ellis offers pedal steel swells that illuminate like a sunrise, wrapping around Alletzhauser’s organic, melancholic melodies and Harris’ perfect harmonies (she is Emmylou to Alletzhauser’s Neil). There is a natural hypnotic glaze to most of tracks, as the acoustic and electric guitars and the sweeping rhythms combine to create a billow of irresistible ethereality.
Other highlights on the album include the Greek mythology-referencing “Persephone,” which rattles the cage a little more than most tracks with its distorted, lost-in-the-woods-at-night guitar stomp; the trembling, gently-rolling lullaby for a departing lover “Magic Show”; the twilight-twinkling “You Can’t Hurt Me Anymore”; and “Bury Me,” which recalls the earlier roots-rockin’ days of Wilco. But highlights, shmilights there isn’t a dud in the bunch here. The songs are full of drama and soul, possessing an imposing majesty and a vibe of sober sorrow that makes Valentine a perfect “shoulder to cry on” CD for anyone going through a soul-crushing breakup. With an album this amazing under their belts, there’s no hiding for The Hiders anymore. |
