Tyler Ramsey - The Valley Wind (Album)
Five years ago I was embarrassed to admit to my penchant for a little bit of country music every now and then. The term ‘country’ evoked images of Willie Nelson and Waylon Jennings, and ‘folk’ bought The Seekers and Peter, Paul, and Mary to mind – but this is no longer so (it probably wasn’t so five years ago, I just needed to branch out more). Indie-rockers Band of Horses are a band that are sitting somewhere on the fringe of American alt. country and folk music, but lead guitarist Tyler Ramsey’s latest release The Valley Wind wholeheartedly embraces these influences.
Side projects and solo offerings are becoming the norm, and while many artists only flirt with the notion, returning to their band after releasing only one album, The Valley Wind is Ramsey’s third LP – establishing him as one of the finest alt. country artists in the industry. Admittedly, I had expected the album to sound somewhat like Band of Horses – just as Julian Casablancas’ Phrazes for the Young still kind of sounds like The Strokes, and Ian Ball’s Who Goes There still kind of sounds like Gomez. However, I can draw few parallels between Ramsey’s solo efforts and his work with Band of Horses. Of course, vocally he sounds nothing like Ben Bridwell’s, but this is not the only difference; Ramsey’s music is softer, more stripped back, and the country and folk influences are much more obvious. Ramsey has a distinctive guitar style, and this is one of the key elements in his music, and indeed what makes it special. His vocals, however, are what surprised me – they’re beautiful. At times I cannot believe how much he sounds like Neil Young – especially on the title track (which, incidentally, is stunning, and one of the album highlights) – and the vocals on When It’s Done (another highlight) suggest that Crosby, Stills and Nash are another influence.
The Valley Wind is a beautiful record, and demonstrates that Ramsey has an incredible amount to offer as a solo artist – I truly believe he is one of the best in the alt. country/folk scene at the moment.
