: ' .. .:.... . ' ' ______________ : ________ : ' \ / .. .:. .. \ / : : \ /_________ \ / . .. ... .. . : .\ / /___ /\ \ / ______________ ___ _. : \ / / \ / \ \/ / \ \ \ \ \ . ...:..\ / _______/ \/ \ ___/__ / / / / / : /\ / / \ \/ \ / / / . sH! ' / \/ / / / \ / / . ... .:.... .. . :/ _______/ / / / _______/__ ___ __ .\ / / / / / / / / / / / \ / / / / / / / / / / / . . \ /\______/ / / / / \___ / / : \/ ____ \ / / / / / : \ / \ /\____/\ / / : : ________\/ \ / \ / / : ' \ / \/ \ /\ / : . ..:.. . \ / \/ \ / \ / \ / . ' : \/ F A N G \ / : ' ____ \ / . . .. .. .:.. . \ / presents \ / . . \/ \/ : : . ..:.. , : Artist......: Valley Maker : Album.......: Rhododendron : : Label.......: Frenchkiss Records .. .:.. . Genre.......: Indie : Catnr.......: . ' Source......: CD , ; Rip.date....: 2020-08-07 Str.date....: 2018-02-14 Quality.....: 252kbps/44.1kHz/Joint Stereo . :.. .:. Url.........: http://valleymaker.bandcamp.com/ ' ' , ________ ________ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / # title time \ / \/ \/ 1. A Couple Of Days 3:40 2. Light On The Ground 3:17 3. Beautiful Birds Flying 4:02 4. Rise Up 5:35 5. Seven Signs 3:13 6. Be Born Today 3:51 7. Baby, In Your Kingdom 3:46 8. Planted In The Tall Weeds 4:51 9. Wonder 3:24 10. River Bend My Mind 3:42 ______ \ / ________ Runtime 39:21 ,\ /... . . .... .... \ / ' Size 74.82 ______ :\/ ', \ / , \ / ' '... ..\ /.. .. .....:. .. .... .. . ..\ /. : Release Notes: \/ , \/ , ' ' ,: WeÆve long been fans of Austin CraneÆs Valley Maker here at VSF. :, : Writing about their previous record, When I Was a Child, we : :' describe how Crane ôtakes aim at some big existential ': ,: questions, even if [he] doesnÆt offer any answers,ö his music :, : probing what it means to be human in the most fundamental ways. : :' ôWhen I Was a Child is an album about belief and love in a ': ,: variety of guises,ö we continued in our review. ôAbout the big :, : and unknowable questions, from love and growth and family to God : :' and everlasting life. ItÆs an album about all of us, ': ,: basically.ö :, : : :' Valley Maker recently put out a brand new record, Rhododendron, ': ,: and weÆre pleased to report that they continue to deliver on :, : their stellar brand of ruminative indie rock. Crane has always : :' delivered his lyrics with a strangely intense composure, his ': ,: distinctive vocals giving the lines a gentle power. This is :, : certainly true on opener æA Couple DaysÆ, a solemn song about : :' missing the death of a loved one and ruminating on that ': ,: personÆs impact. ItÆs a reminder that the most lasting legacies :, : are not physical or financial but in our minds, a way of seeing : :' things or approaching the world. ': ,: :, : To think that I will be like you : :' To think that I will be consumed ': ,: To know that I remain confused :, : To always see the world in bloom : :' To see it like you taught me to ': ,: To know that I will be amazed :, : : :' In comparison æLight on the GroundÆ feels slick and spry, but ': ,: again the lyrics are weighty. Like most Valley Maker songs, the :, : track is built upon a thematic bedrock of faith and religion, : :' but anyone who baulks at the R-word need not worry, Crane is ': ,: uninterested in creeds and doctrine, instead exploring :, : metaphysical mysteries that we can all wonder about. ôProphetic : :' and apocalyptic language shapes CraneÆs lyrics,ö label ': ,: Frenchkiss Records put it, ôbut his outlook is not bound by :, : dogma. Instead, he uses the metaphors of faith to explore the : :' ineffable to navigate the intersection of belief, time, place, ': ,: and the political present.ö :, : : :' Rhododendron was made with the help of producer/engineer Chaz ': ,: Bear of Toro Y Moi, and his influence is seen in the albumÆs :, : snaking melodies and beguiling rhythms. Songs that would be : :' emotionally resonant with just guitar and vocals are elevated ': ,: to rich and spacious indie rock songs, as atmospheric and :, : complex as the issues Crane tackles. æRise UpÆ is a case in : :' point, perhaps the most ambitious and celebratory song Valley ': ,: Maker has ever made. It dips and sways, reminiscent of The :, : Wooden Sky in the way it fuses soulful conventional folk with : :' something more contemporary, trumpet and saxophone adding to ': ,: the maximalist groove. Again Crane looks to the Gospel for his :, : metaphors, the obvious Easter Sunday themes at the forefront of : :' a song thatÆs actually a nuanced take on being raised with ': ,: religion. :, : : :' ôRise up ': ,: God as my witness :, : Set my mind on the end : :' Jesus Christ visits ': ,: In a dream I guess :, : I was five years old : :' Mumbled little meanings ': ,: Doing as IÆm toldö :, : : :' æSeven SignsÆ is another rich pop song, although itÆs packed ': ,: full of anxiety about America, images of hurricanes and gun :, : shops juxtaposed against the titular Rhododendron ôin the : :' mountain shade,ö while the western twang of æBe Born TodayÆ ': ,: continues the eschatological feel, evoking Jason MolinaÆs stark :, : imagery. ôThe sky opens for me,ö Crane sings, ôThe earth : :' swallows my feet / Blackbird coming down so mean / Bloodstain ': ,: on the silent street.ö :, : : :' ThereÆs a persistent rhythm that drives æBaby, in Your ': ,: KingdomÆ, a typically sober and sincere love song that at once :, : laments lifeÆs complications and vows to endure in spite of : :' them, with æPlanted in the Tall WeedsÆ playing as the idea in ': ,: action, struggling back toward the light. If the light isnÆt :, : reached on æWonderÆ, then it is certainly visible at the end of : :' the tunnel, the track an abrupt realisation of good fortune, ': ,: life sliding into context as the shadows lift. :, : : :' The album ends on æRiver Bend My MindÆ, a characteristically ': ,: spacious finale, all gathering shadows and negative space. ItÆs :, : a song that confronts uncertainty with a clear-eyed sense of : :' hope. ôThe running river only flows into the days I cannot ': ,: know,ö declares Crane, ôwhen heaven takes me nice and slow, but :, : heavenÆs what I do not know.ö Once more, Crane is not foolish : :' enough to offer answers, though his words and voice work as a ': ,: reassuring balm, even while acknowledging the ambiguity and :, : turmoil that surely awaits. : :' ': ,: Rhododendron is out now via Frenchkiss Records and you can get :, : it from the Valley Maker Bandcamp page. : :' ': : ' '.. ..' .. . :........... . . . . ............: . . ______________ ______________ \ / \ / \ / Shout out to all our homies from: \ / \ / \ / \ / iPC BOSS HiT2000 1way UKi i8 RNS \ / \ / RAGEMP3 MANDY DV8 pLAN9 BUTT \ / \ / \ / \/ ____ ____ \/ \ / F A N G \ / \/ 2 0 2 0 \/