I / (TIME)

Vly is a recently formed, internationally-based and extremely diverse collective. Amongst the quintet's ranks, several members of the outfit have previously spent time in Crippled Black Phoenix, one from Änglagård, and all currently hold rank in Diet Kong, Typical Reptiles, Karl Demata Band, Il Tempio Delle Clessidre, Bernie Torme', Shark Island, White Willow and Necromonkey.

Vly began as strangers sending music stuff across the Atlantic Ocean. British-based guitarist Karl Demata had a vague idea and a few demos, when a friend put him in touch with New York singer/artist Keith Gladysz. Keith began working on the demos, adding a more melodic, dream-like and decidedly indie sensibility.

The sound of Vly hits elements of progressive rock, classic rock, folk, early-Floydian psychedelia, intimate pop melodies, massive walls of epic guitar riffage, post-classical, post-rock and electronic music. When you listen to Vly music you can find that their vocalism is early pinkfloydish (and so Porcupine Tree as well) oriented, but it's laid down on a magic carpet made of beautiful sounds, unusual harmonics and captivating melodic lines.

Mattias Olsson demonstrates (if someone needed it) that you don't have to show extremely complicated patterns and fills to be a great drummer. While his patterns seem not so difficult, but really effective to grant the right support and power to the music, he plays fills you hardly could listen from another drummer, fully enriched with taste and class.

Elisa Montaldo renews her greatness through her choice of sounds and effects, her inspired backing vocals. She seems to abandon her usual virtuosity to give space to a hearted and rich of sensitivity research of touching registers, dreamy settings and proficient playing.

Karl Demata's guitar moments are enriched with feelings, and solos seem always to be a diamond mounted in the musical structure.

Moreover, all the instrumentalists try their best to make the work homogeneous, well balanced and of undoubted taste.

Though the whole album is high level, my preferred song are the opener 'Circles' and the following 'Time', then the energetic 'Out of the Maze', the hypnotic (really a topic name!) 'Hypnotic', the piano pearl 'Time Remembered', the dramatic 'Message in the Water', down to the last 'Time Forgotten'.

Those who approach to this album looking for Änglagård solemnity, or CBP acidity or also the healthy and opulent ITDC RPI, should rapidly change direction. Even if you can reveal here and there some resemblance with Crippled Black Phoenix (obvious and inevitable), the Vly sound character, certainly due to the different influences of the components, is softer and more melancholic, more oriented to introspection and charming atmospheres.

Even the artwork, totally lacking of musicians photographs, is oriented to let the listener concentrate only on the dreamy atmospheres, the catchy melodies, the introspective lyrics, more than on the images.

At the end of the game, what we usually ask to the Music is to be thrilled when we listen to it. All the rest is an extension. I always fear the worst when friends come back from a music event and say "Great show!"... I'd prefer they'd say: "Great Music... and good show!"

Intense and charming album.. A must to have... and to listen resting in low light or darkness.