Back in the day, just after the earth’s crust cooled, America hit the charts with their first big single, “Horse With No Name,” and more than a few people mistakenly believed, at first blush, that it was something new from Neil Young. About a year later, Stealer’s Wheel had a similarly big hit with “Stuck in the Middle with You,” which was equally misinterpreted as a Bob Dylan song.
There is an element of that kind of sonic misdirection when listening to the engaging gems tossed off by Valentiger, a Folk Pop trio hailing from the wilds of Grand Rapids, Mich. Like the churning ingredients of a well-stocked gumbo on the boil, familiarity bubbles up to the surface of the band’s sound, on stage and on its excellent 2009 full-length debut, Power Lines to Electric Times, and just-released sophomore album, Oh, to Know! — bits of Guster and Neil Young, flecks of Barenaked Ladies and Clem Snide, juicy kernels of The Kinks and Wilco, meaty chunks of Pavement and Paul Westerberg.
Valentiger plays The Comet Thursday with Empty Threats. Go here to read Brian Baker’s full Sound Advice.
This article appears in Mar 16-22, 2011.
