Following a relocation from Joshua Tree to LA and the onset of the pandemic, Earl Vallie began to worry that music-making was behind him. But that changed when he began to collaborate with Deerhoof’s Greg Saunier, a partnership which brought a newfound sense of creative energy. Soon Vallie had taken on a new moniker and begun work on fresh material, and the result is Ghost Approaches, a brand new record which label Perpetual Doom describes as “a collection of boldly weird and defiantly life-affirming songs.”
The genre-defying artist (who previously recorded as Grant Earl LaValley) is a true American eccentric, combining rustic folk with vintage pop and mirage-like desert rock to craft a sound that’s all his own. But Vallie is no jet-setting rock star. His art is made from the trenches of working class living, beginning as daydreams that help sustain widescreen hopes and desires, staving off the dark everyday drudgery of working to make other men rich.
Earl Vallie describes Ghost Approaches as “a cry of resilience,” and this description proves to be the perfect encapsulation. A record bigger and bolder than previous releases, all galloping guitar and crashing drums, Vallie’s distinctive vocals whipping up into yells and cries in moments of fervour. Opener ‘Ready to Die’ comes flying out the gate, an illustration of just all-in Vallie has gone in making this album. “I wanna burn through the sun in a blood-soaked sky,” he howls as an opening line, one delivered with such zeal you can’t help but believe him.
Which isn’t to say Ghost Approaches is all fire and brimstone. In fact, it has an undeniably therapeutic effect, from the catharsis of the noisy moments to the sepia-toned nostalgia of the classic folk and pop elements. “My only goal,” says Vallie of the record, “is to uplift people with sounds and melodies that are undeniably relatable and healing for all.”
Within this mission, the record is something of a shapeshifter. ‘A Beautiful Creature’ is a big shuddering alt-rock epic. ‘Reap the Seeds of Love’ rumbles like a surreal green-hued thunderclap across the desert night. ‘Hollow Skies’ has the dramatic synths of an 80s dancefloor ballad and ‘My Baby’s Broomstick’ combines histrionic rock with down-‘n-dirty dive bar blues.
There’s a doo-wop sweetness to ‘Prom’ which channels the nostalgia loaded into its title and twists it, resulting in a romance that’s part teen dream, part Gothic vision. The balance is indicative of the Earl Vallie aesthetic. Songs in which the weird and the familiar sit side by side, where classic country tropes marble with odd idiosyncrasies and become something surreal yet entirely believable. Life it all its hyperreal glory, with all the darkness and light left in.
Ghost Approaches is out now on Perpetual Doom. Buy a copy via Bandcamp.
