What's remarkable about
the Felice Brothers' first album for
Conor Oberst's purpose-made imprint
Million Stars is that it's one of the indie folk Upstate New Yorkers' most cohesive works to date. It holds together, both sonically and thematically, despite being assembled from sessions recorded exactly five years apart. The earliest material here -- such as the organic, unhurried, and masterfully sketched "Flowers by the Roadside" -- was recorded at Letterbox Farm, Hudson, New York, in May 2018, ahead of sessions for 2019's eccentric, perhaps lopsided
Undress. However, the marginally more polished tracks that appear here -- such as the hazy, slick, and languid opener "Crime Scene Queen" -- were laid down at The Church in Harlemville, New York in May 2023, during the creation of their surprise, year-closing, download-only album
Asylum on the Hill. This composite approach enables the listener to hear
Ian and
James Felice's initial recordings with their now established rhythm section of
Jesske Hume and
Will Lawrence. You can occasionally see the seams where
Valley of Abandoned Songs has been stitched together, but it's a quirk that just reinforces
the Felice Brothers' long-established ragged charm, a feature that's been with them since their 2006 inception. There's a relatively understated modesty in titling an album
Valley of Abandoned Songs when the quality of songwriting here is so high. In doing so, though, it becomes perfectly acceptable to present raw takes, usually reserved for archival releases. Both the wonderfully raw, garage-like "Younger as the Days Go By" and the hope-filled ballad "Tomorrow Is Just a Dream Away" drift out of focus as their leader
Ian Felice attempts to improvise wordless codas. Although these are brief, fascinating glimpses of what's going on underneath the bonnet, the rest of the album is lyrically tight and poetic. Deceptively simple tales such as the cryptic,
Dylanesque "Raccoon, Rooster and Crow" and "Birdies" tap into what
Greil Marcus termed "old, weird America," while "So Long John" is a touching requiem for the late poet
John Ashbery. Whereas
Undress and
Asylum on the Hill, along with 2021's
From Dreams to Dust, were busy albums, crammed full of ideas -- often incorporating indie rock or straight-ahead pop --
Valley of Abandoned Songs benefits from consistently stark, unadorned folk-rock arrangements. It's also an album of beautifully conveyed balance and duality. "Crime Scene Queen" talks of "sorrow on Joy Street" and "tears of champagne," while on "New York by Moonlight,"
Felice eloquently lists big city flaws and travails before declaring "there's no place I'd rather be." Passing through the
Valley of Abandoned Songs, it seems, is a little like visiting the Lost & Found, and there's definite value in these reclaimed works of art. ~ James Wilkinson
