10 Dreamy Albums Valley Think Every Music Fan Should Own
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The post 10 Dreamy Albums Valley Think Every Music Fan Should Own appeared first on Consequence.
Crate Digging is a recurring feature that takes a deep dive into music history to turn up several albums all music fans should know. In this edition, the members of Valley talk through some favorites that shaped their individual musical identities.
Valley’s new era has arrived, but for bandmates Mickey Brandolino, Rob Laska, Karah James, and Alex Dimauro, Lost in Translation is about the fight to stay in the present moment. The alt-pop act’s buoyant sophomore album sprawls across 15 tracks, a third of which were rolled out ahead of the full record over the past few months, and the final result feels like a series of journal entries or texts from a friend.
“At times, life can feel like you’re living in a fishbowl — watching it pass you by as one big blur,” says Brandolino. “Music always breaks us out…It’s the energy we use to keep going.”
“It’s been a maze to figure out what this all means, why we still do it, what’s been found and most importantly, what’s been lost along the way,” adds Laska.
With a string of international tour dates on the horizon (secure tickets here), the band won’t be slowing this momentum any time soon. But first, to mark the release of Lost in Translation, the quartet took a moment to chat through some of their favorite albums, unpacking the ways they’ve been shaped individually as artists along with how these records ultimately impacted their sound as a group. Read on for Valley’s favorite albums, from Ariana Grande’s thank u, next (which James alleges might be “the best pop record ever made”), to classics from The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac.
Kacey Musgraves — Golden Hour
Mickey Brandolino: This record changed the way I consume, create, and feel music. As somebody who creates music, it becomes really hard to listen to music without analyzing and studying it. It is rare I listen to music for the sake of feeling, and that’s why I have my go-to albums that take me back to an ignorant, music-loving child who just felt music exclusively.
Golden Hour is likely the album that will do that for me for the rest of my life. It’s been years and I still listen to it in full weekly. My favourite songs on the record are “Love Is a Wild Thing,” “Lonely Weekend,” and “Happy & Sad.” This record feels like she effortlessly wrote down all the thoughts in her head and it just came out perfectly relatable, honest, vulnerable, and clever. When I can’t sleep (most nights), I listen to this record and the way all the instruments are panned and their textures combined just puts me right to sleep. Lyrically, melodically, production, mixing, everything is just perfect.
Justin Bieber — Justice
Brandolino: This record really feels like Bieber landing. He feels content and honest and authentic. It feels like the record he’s waited to make his whole life. Some of my favorite songs of all time are Bieber’s early stuff, like “One Less Lonely Girl” and “U Smile,” and this record feels like the mature, grown-up version of all of those older songs.
The melodies matured, the production matured, the lyrics became real to him and full of life experience. This is a record I can both analyze and be obsessed with as a craft, and also just scream along to and cry and smile and dance and feel all of life’s emotions while listening.
The 1975 – The 1975
Brandolino: Their first album. Shut up.
This record changed my life: the way I dress, the way I make music, the friends I choose, my attitude and outlook on life, it’s insane. The 1975 have blended all of the best things in the past to create this new genre and outlook on music — there’s really no way to explain it. You either think they’re the best or the worst. You get it or you don’t!
Ryan Beatty — Calico
Rob Lasky: This an album that’s really changed my life the past few months. I discovered Ryan’s music a few years ago, but this album in particular entered my life while on our North American tour at the perfect time. I fell asleep to it, I went on long walks to it through cities I’d never been to, I cried on a scooter to it in the middle of a Walmart parking lot at sunset. It’s one of those albums that takes over your entire life because it feels like a story from top to bottom.
Ryan has a way with writing lyrics that makes you feel so directly addressed. The whole production makes you feel like you’re in the room with him as he breaks down his life in front of your eyes. I know this is an album I’ll have on vinyl and put on when I’m 70 years old and making dinner. I’m not particularly religious, but “Bruises off the Peach” sounds like what entering heaven must feel like to me. I know it’ll be with me forever. It truly is a masterpiece and I’m so grateful to be alive when this album had the ability to enter my world. Forever inspired by Ryan Beatty, Ethan Gruska, Justin Vernon and the many more amazing collaborators that worked on Calico.
Catfish and the Bottlemen — The Balcony
Alex Dimauro: This record made me feel like rock music was cool again. Another top to bottom album listen where I felt like this was a band just jamming, having fun and playing some great music. I love this record because the production isn’t overthought, the energy is GREAT, and it’s just so much fun to listen to! The record starts out so strong with “Homesick,” which is one of my favorite songs, and flows so nicely.
Clairo — Immunity
Karah James: I was late discovering this album, but it became my COVID album. I used to go on walks and listen to this album three times through and study the way Clairo sung. I felt like I had finally discovered an artist that had a similar timbre, range, and tone to my own voice. I’ve always struggled with my identity as a singer because I thought you needed a strong, loud, powerful voice to be a good singer. When I discovered Clairo that all changed for me.
I took a lot of influence from the way she does melismas. She uses a lot of R&B riffs but with a breathy tone. I started to experiment in doing that myself in my ad libs and harmonies on “Sucks to See You Doing Better” and “Last Birthday.” My essential song in Immunity would have to be “I Wouldn’t Ask You.” Although this isn’t my favorite song in the album, I think it encompasses all of the vocal magic Clairo has to offer that I’ve been so inspired by.
Fleetwood Mac – Rumours
James: Mick Fleetwood has been a huge inspiration to me as a drummer for his drum tones, and his licks. He isn’t a flashy, chopsy drummer, and I’ve never considered myself to be, either, so when I discovered Fleetwood Mac in high school, I resonated so much with this tasteful style of drummer. He does the most with very little — I love that.
Stevie Nicks and Christine McVie are two of my favorite songwriters. The way Christine McVie sets up her phrasing and melodies to finally have that pay off moment in her songs is so genius. She really takes her time getting to the sweet spots and still manages to write from the heart. Stevie is a force of nature with her songwriting, leaning more abstract than Christine — Stevie sings about such a wide spectrum of emotion with so much imagery and detail. She is authentically herself, and I hope I can be remembered like that. My essential song on Rumours would have to be “Dreams,” as it has all of the elements I love about the band.
Ariana Grande – thank u, next
James: Ariana Grande might be my all-time favorite artist. She’s a superstar for a reason. I remember when she dropped the song, “thank u, next,” I was sitting on my bed in my childhood bedroom and my jaw just dropped to the floor. I hadn’t felt that way about a song in forever. When the whole album came out, it blew my mind. In my opinion, it was, and still is, the best pop record ever made. It covers every emotion I would want to feel while listening to an album. I love this album especially because you can tell Ariana really matured into her vocal sound — the vocal arrangement, the voicing of her harmonies, and her tones are so dialed in. I have so much respect for her.
My essential song on this album has to be “Ghostin.” I love a sad pop song. I’m a very melody-first person, and the melodies in this song are incredible.
Green Day – American Idiot
Alex Dimauro: It’s a MUST-listen, top to bottom, because it flows so nicely and transitions cleaner and more interestingly than any record that came before it. With songs like “Holiday” going into “Boulevard of Broken Dreams,” or “Are We the Waiting” going into “St. Jimmy,” you can tell the record was crafted to perfection and there’s such a concise story being told.
I also love how it comes full circle with lyrical callbacks later in the record with songs like “Letterbomb” (my personal favorite). The emotion comes through so strong in the performance and the songwriting; as a kid I really felt those things, and I still do to this day. American Idiot was definitely one of my biggest coming of age records and changed me forever.
The Beatles — Abbey Road
Dimauro: Another incredibly important album for me was Abbey Road by The Beatles. So many beautiful melodies in that album soundtracked my childhood. I can still remember hearing “Here Comes The Sun” on drives with my parents in our old van, along with so many other iconic songs. The music, however, wasn’t just easy listening — it was creatively inspiring, and has to be one of the main reasons I personally got into music. The Beatles will forever be my first obsession and Abbey Road was their final masterpiece.
10 Dreamy Albums Valley Think Every Music Fan Should Own
Mary Siroky
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