VLYI was attracted to this album in the first instance by the concept: a Transatlantic collaboration of musicians, an Italian keyboard player, a Swedish drummer but most important of all, an eclectic range of progressive influences and an interest in the development of sounds.

“Circles” immediately takes us into a calm Floydian dream world, supported by a patient acoustic rhythm and a sophisticated drum pattern. The guitar work is expressive and the overtly mellow song creeps up and infuses gentle power. Late Beatles comes to mind. It’s a very interesting start. Yet in spite of the initial promise I never grew into this album. Without doubt Vly are a talented group of musicians, and the sound mix is interesting. The songs ebb and flow between the bouncy and edgy “Out of the Maze” and the drab and gloomy “Time”. Vly’s default position seems to be a deep reflection, like Pineapple Thief or King Bathmat, but not as consistently poignant. The occasionally off piste vocals have the air but if I were to compare them to those of Mely, whose “Porcelain Dolls” album I’ve been listening to again lately, they’re not as exciting. The guitar work is lush and expressive, and the drummer beats out interesting patterns but whilst the songs are nice and the dreamy quirkiness is without doubt an attractive feature, it’s a strange combination of hypnosis and mild experimentalism. Here and there a gem emerges. “Silver Beaches” is such a gem, swaying in the wind melancholically. “Message in Water”, which follows it, is the epitome of dreariness. “Dark Days” then heads down the same path and is saved at the end by a rich variety of interesting rock-type and extra-terrestrial sounds. All this needed to be interwoven into the songs, not stuck on the end or included as one minute electronic tracks. “Perfect Place” has the Floydian flow of “Circles” and “Silver Beaches”, sticking to simplicity of vocals and instrumental integration. Held together by the drum pattern, here it breaks off into a psychedelic 70s organ solo. The eight minute “Perfect Place” is a highlight before the album finally escapes and disappears into the ether or “Time Forgotten”, as Vly would have it.

“I / (Time)” was for me a frustrating album because it has so much instrumental richness and ideas, and some great songs but it also seemed to get lost in its own dreamy conceptual sophistication.

(6.5/10 Andrew Doherty)

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