Oh man, this is where it gets good. When the near folk-y “Intro” leads into the intense rock drone of “Sleep By The Ocean”. It sweeps you off your feet, leaving you stunned. You ask: Where did that come from!? And then you grin, because Fauna Valetta really is fucking good.
There are two distinct sounds here. There’s garage rock with that beautiful, sloppy distortion. And then there’s psychedelic rock with its wild, drug-induced-like eclectic nature. Combined, the two dominate everything and produce an immense sound that is not only hard to ignore, it’s hard to stop listening.
Songs like “Day Is In Love” may edge slightly toward garage, while others like “Energy” and “Eulogy” lean the other way, but for the most part the garage elements and the psych elements mash together nicely. However, Fauna Valetta is at their best when garage infiltrates the music; songs like “Sleep By The Ocean” and “Yr. Arms” are easily the album toppers.
It all leads to a simple conclusion: Fauna Valetta is definitely one of the best unheard bands I’ve discovered so far this year.
Fauna Valetta: Energy [mp3]
[audio:090330_fauna_valetta_-_energy.mp3|titles=Energy|artists=Fauna Valetta]
Fauna Valetta: Eulogy [mp3]
[audio:090330_fauna_valetta_-_eulogy.mp3|titles=Eulogy|artists=Fauna Valetta]
[CD, 2008]
1. Intro
2. Sleep By The Ocean
3. Day Is In Love
4. Energy
5. West Is Home
6. The Flood
7. Elka’s Song
8. Wait
9. Eulogy
10. Witches
11. Yr. Arms
12. Come Along
Thanks for the kind words. Look out for the new album, due out in mid 2009. All the best,
the boys of f.V.