Although Americans enjoy making fun of Canadians, it’s just for show. We’re No. 1 fans of their syrup, 18-year-old drinking age, comedians and their bands.
Canada’s latest up-and-coming musical export is Valleys, a Psychedelic Shoegaze trio from Montreal. Music and arts blog Brooklyn Vegan places the band’s debut album, Sometimes Water Kills People, “somewhere between early ’70s Island Records folk and the Saddle Creek scene,” and their MySpace page says Valleys sounds like “Mountains of hiss, rivers of song.”
Folk-inspired they are, and although the name “Valleys” suggests a kind of lush greenery, their sound is more akin to nighttime desert-driving music. Like a dreamy, slow soundtrack with layered guitar and vocals, Valleys’ quiet, tapping percussion feels like tiny heartbeats. Think Giant Sand with Neko Case.
Hear more from the Canadians, who play with Indianapolis band PONS Thursday at The Mockbee at 9 p.m., here: www.myspace.com/valleysvalleysvalleys.
(Get show and venue details here.)
This article appears in Apr 7-13, 2010.