Death Valley Girls : "Islands in the Sky"

I was looking forward to this one as all of their albums u[p to this point have been highly enjoyable and a fun adventure hearing how their sound continues to evolve. The opening intro piece starts things off with a darker ambiance that is closer to goth than what we have heard from this band in some time. This darker vibe carries over into the first actual song "Magic Powers".  There is still a little of the 60s feel that ran through the previous album, but there is less flower power sentiment. There is also a catchier groove to the song that might work more at goth night than for go-go dancing. The title track does step back toward the 60's girl group pop feel. There is a more soulful wandering to "Sunday" which feels more like ballad. Her vocals are belted out with more power and passion than we have heard from her in the past. Though musically it sways in more conventional simplicity. 

"What are the Odds" highlights the fact that their is a rawer production to this album. I like the lyrics that speculate how we are living in a simulated world. There is almost more of a punk edge to this song. When it comes to darker trippy sounds they conjure just what I want from them on "Journey to Dog Star". It slithers with a more minor key feel. The layered vocals on the chorus are not what I expected to rouse the listener from the hypnosis the verses induce. It works , but takes some repeat listens to get used to. They firmly adhere to creating astounding layers of sounds, but still serving the songs with them. They combine the 60s pop ballad feel with their more psychedelic pondering on "Say it Too" , which creates something closer to Siouxsie and the Banshees than you might expect. 

The pace picking up into a coasting groove with "Watch the Sky".  This album sounds best when listened to with head phones. The bass becomes more present in the mix and the hovering vocals find their place in the middle of this. They stand shoulder to shoulder with any rock band in how these arrangements are layered . The vocals take the spotlight with the psychedelic pop of "When I'm Free". It is a little more upbeat than what I prefer from them, but it might just take a little getting use to. It feels like there is more of a Doors influence this time around. There is a haunted melancholy underneath the sugar coated melody of "All That is Not of Me". This brings it back toward a more goth adjacent zip code. There is also more nuanced guitar playing which is really cool. 

They close the album with "It's All Really Kind of Amazing" which is not as dark as the previous song. There is a more jammy meandering to it, like if Grace Slick was fronted the Great Dead and Phil Spector stepped in to produce. Though it does not adhere to his wall of sound but is allowed to carry a looser live sound. I will round this up to a 10, as I suspect it will continue to grow on me with more listens. Fans of the band will find this goes in the most logical direction given the band's trajectory but is a far cry from selling out, which works for me.