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MV & EE with the Golden Road "Gettin' Gone"
Ecstatic Peace
Matt ‘MV’ Valentine and Erika ‘EE’ Elder should need no introduction to the denizens of the Foxy Digitalis micro-universe. It feels as if these two psychedelic star children have been releasing music for an eternity, exposing a true Americana that is rooted solely in good vibes. Both as a duo, and surrounded by their equally musically inclined friends, MV and EE have generated countless genre-bending mantras, fusing early American song-forms with a wide array of seemingly incongruent influences. Rural ragas? Lunar blues? Anything is fair game.
“Gettin’ Gone” finds the MV/EE axis aligned with an assortment of extremely talented musicians, some of whom they’ve worked with on past projects. Willie Lane and Samara Lubelski, both long-time associates, make an appearance, as do Ron Schneiderman and John Moloney of Sunburned Hand of the Man. J Mascis pounds the skins on a few tracks and Canadian pedal steel wunderkind Matthew ‘Doc’ Dunn adds a touch of golden goodness to the proceedings. Even canine superstar Zuma shows up to rattle some bells.
Throughout its entirety, “Gettin’ Gone” carries a familial spirit – the seemingly effortless way that the players lock on to one another reveals a closeness among them, an indescribable connection. This is most apparent when the group rocks out, as exemplified on the opening track “Susquehanna (sole art trample)” and the incredibly powerful “Hammer.” The latter track is an epic reworking of a traditional work song that has been transformed into an anti-war hymn by the group. Gorgeously sung by EE, “Hammer” is an emotionally poignant, slow-burning jam in the spirit of the master, Neil Young. It has become one of my all-time favourite songs.
It seems that MV and EE are steering their ship away from astral folk territory and entering country-rock waters. Of course, they haven’t abandoned their roots, but have traversed further down the creative path, and are exploring musical ideas that seem natural. Whatever they choose to do, they do it wholeheartedly and with a sense of purity. I’m certainly not complaining!
9/10 --