Valina: A Tempo! A Tempo!

What do you get when you mix the ferocity of punk rock with the melodicism of The Jam and throw in the odd tricky time signature for good measure? Valina are a basic three piece band hailing from Austria. They have a distinct European sound sometimes reminiscent of The Jam with a modern approach that occasionally straddles the boundaries of math-rock. While this music packs a furious punch of pounding drums and crashing guitars, the melodic sense of these three individuals is never in doubt. The voice of Anatol Bogendorfer reminds me of Paul Weller. He never strains his voice too hard, always remaining calm amidst the heavy music surrounding him. Besides The Jam, the band reminds me a little of The Pixies especially in their use of irregular guitar phrasings and pounding beats.

Beginning with The Jam-like "Calendaria", the album starts out rocking at a fervent pace. Here the vocals bare an uncanny resemblance to Mr. Weller bringing back fond memories of a bygone era. The pounding continues with "Bellydancer" featuring excellent drums and a more aggressive vocal delivery conveying an angrier tone. The band does have a little extra help such as the saxophone featured on the mostly instrumental "Dogged", save for a short spoken word segment. Deep bass grooves weave through the drum fills adding plenty of power. The droning guitar intro of "Libidos Reime" is pretty cool before giving way to a rhythm assault typical of much of the album. The guitar playing of Bogendorfer is a highlight here, and the band is able to stop and start exhibiting finesse not often found in power trios such as this. Again sax is used to compliment the main instruments.

The album never stops with the hard rocking riffs so if you are looking for a breather you will not find it here. I would have liked to hear the band slow down occasionally and add some different atmospheres to the mix, however this is only a minor complaint as I found this to be an enjoyable listen with really no bad songs among the bunch.

If you appreciate the technical aspect of math rock and love a good melody here and there, this album should satisfy. Recommended for all lovers of riff-based heavy music.

Track Listing:
1. Calendaria (an introduction)
2. Bellydancer
3. Dogged
4. Idiom's Palace
5. Per Sonare
6. Phantom Of My Longest Day
7. Mehrklang
8. Eye's A Window
9. Clock Shock and Freedom
10. Delivery Man (Duane! Duane!)
11. Libido's Regime

Added: March 16th 2009
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Band's Official Site
Hits: 1937
Language: english

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