The Valley

I’ve been a huge fan of MG since ‘In the Wind’ debuted. I fell in love with their sound and their use of different instrumentation (banjo, viola, mandolin) which really gave them a unique sound along side the poetic lyricism and ‘stomp & clap’ rhythms. This album, ‘The Valley,’ seems to miss the mark on the sound that made them so good. They gave up a lot of the more unique acoustic sounds from ‘In the Wind’ and replaced them with bland electric guitars and drum pads. The strong lyricism is mostly still there, although I was disappointed with the explicit lyrics (mostly a personal preference) but I loved that they could be fun, deep, emotional and relatable without having to sink to using a cuss word. I guess that has changed, at least for one song. While this album is still enjoyable to listen to, I can’t say that I love it. I really hope they go back to their roots in terms of sound in the future. Until then, I’ll try to let this album grow on me a little. Notable songs from ‘The Valley’: Hurricane, and The 818.