Eisley – The Valley (Equal Vision)
The Valley is the newest release from Tyler, Texas power-pop/indie quintet Eisley. An indie favorite since the release of 2005’s Room Noises, Eisley is a tight-knit family band, comprising four siblings and a first cousin. They write enchanting music that makes you feel like you’re living a perpetual daydream. The songs on this newest record strike a perfect balance; retaining a lot of the innocent fairy tale setting of their earlier records, while proving that they have substantial emotional range by including their heaviest and most melancholy songs to date. The songs on The Valley will undoubtedly appeal to an older audience without losing the younger folks, and will bring the band and even more widespread appeal.
Eisley – The Valley (Equal Vision)
The Valley is the newest release from Tyler, Texas power-pop/indie quintet Eisley. An indie favorite since the release of 2005’s Room Noises, Eisley is a tight-knit family band, comprising four siblings and a first cousin. They write enchanting music that makes you feel like you’re living a perpetual daydream. The songs on this newest record strike a perfect balance; retaining a lot of the innocent fairy tale setting of their earlier records, while proving that they have substantial emotional range by including their heaviest and most melancholy songs to date. The songs on The Valley will undoubtedly appeal to an older audience without losing the younger folks, and will bring the band and even more widespread appeal.
If you’re a very shrewd Eisley fan and follow the band closely both musically and in the news, then the songs are mostly what you expect to hear. Musically, they’re an evolution from songs off their previous release, 2007’s Combinations–such as “Go Away” and “I Could Be There For You”–taken into a much darker place. The lyrics reflect some of the high-profile drama and hardships that the band has been through in the past few years. There are a few moments on the record where the emotions run high enough to give you an awkward feeling in your stomach, like you’ve wound up in the middle of an intense argument or accidentally overheard someone’s private miseries. Fortunately these moments occur in songs that are driving, catchy, and compelling. The best example is what I consider the record’s best track, “Sad.” The record includes songs like “Kind” and “I Wish” that sound like the Eisley we know and love, and could almost have been pulled off of 2005’s Room Noises, alongside songs like the aforementioned “Sad.” The latter is lyrically as well as instrumentally heavy, having three guitar tracks and none of the trademark Eisley piano.
The band has a determination and strength of character that shows clearly on this record. They choose to tell a story of a group of people fighting through their hardships rather than the story of a group of people wallowing in their bad luck. That’s what in the end makes this record one that you can listen to over and over again. As a songwriter, Sherri shines most on “Sad” and “Better Love.” Stacy does her best work on the song “Ambulance,” which fans have loved since it came out on 2009’s Firekite EP. Stacy’s highlight moment for me, however, is “Oxygen Mask,” which will cause my fellow Queen fans to perk up their ears.
With a tight eleven song tracklist, there’s no filler. It’s one rich, full song after another, with so much depth that they beg for multiple listens. My least favorite song on the record after my first listen–“Please”–quickly became one of my favorites by the third listen. The Valley is definitely Eisley’s most mature release, and is highly recommended for older folks who’ve only given the band a cursory listen before. Longtime fans will find everything they’re looking for and then some. The Valley is a new kind of Eisley record that will undoubtedly mark a major upswing for the band.
