VALLEY GARDENS

The sophomore album by Wally, and their last album for +30 years, is a little different than their debut. It's much more space rock and psychedelic influenced, though all the country elements are still present, which I consider a good thing because that is what makes this band stand out (otherwise they would just be a sub-par symphonic prog group).

While listening to the first song it became apparent that this album was going to be a little bit more dynamic throughout. I usually don't care much for psychedelic music, but I really enjoy Wally's take on the genre. The music on this album is much more progressive than that on the debut, including more alternating in tempo, time signatures, and mood. This album still includes a country-rock ballad song, "Nez Perce", but the songwriting and musicianship seems much stronger than on the debut album's ballads. The strong Pink Floyd influence is very strong on the last two tracks, "The Mood I'm In" and the epic track "The Reason Why", the latter being moderately eclectic but too long for it's own good. The middle of the song just drones endlessly, which isn't what I want to hear in my progressive psychedelic country.

One thing that I really like about this album is the tone of the bass. I don't really play bass that well, but I love when the bass stands out on an album. The playing and songwriting as a band on the whole is much better than on the debut, which is fantastic, and I love that they kept their signature country sound intact while adding more elements to the mix. This is another interesting listen from Wally, and I'd suggest it to people who are fans of both Pink Floyd and John Denver.