About us:
Valley View Music (VVM) is a music site generally focusing on more alternative forms of music, though there are plenty of exciting developments in mainstream music as well. We are currently based in Sun Valley, Idaho and Long Island, New York.
We feature in-depth explorations on bands, albums, genre’s and other musical movements that we love, along with a heavy focus on Classic Album Reviews, as well as spreading the word on albums we really want to Paul Revere, since we feel these selections have not gotten their fair share of exposure. The good albums are coming!
We both share an insatiable appetite for seeing live music and believe the power behind live performances have shaped the way we approach and interact with art. Our Live Music section covers select shows in the Boise and Central Idaho region, as well as the Long Island and New York City region.
This Year in Music:
The Year in Music section is an ever-evolving dual-perspective work-in-progress compilation, comprised of first, second, third impressions and beyond, of albums released in the year we are currently in, as we build out reviews and mark for further consideration for year-end lists.
What sets us apart:
–We don’t review albums until we’ve listened at least five times. As a rule of thumb, we’ve found five to be the magic number. This tends to be where music really starts exposing itself to you and you get a good sense of your feelings on a release, as well as what the artist was trying to accomplish, and further, how well they accomplished it. Even better, five-plus listens and letting a considerable amount of time pass, which probably explains why we do so many Classic Album Reviews, and the Seriously Underrated Series.
–Dual perspectives*. Every article and review is comprised of the sole opinion of its respective writer. Some music sites pretend music is objective. We recognize music is highly subjective, but that it deserves to be treated and explored with as much objective rigor as possible. Ostensibly, we take a “soft” science approach, if you will. We try our best to not let outside factors such as hype, other reviews, etc., influence how we look at an album or shape our opinions.
–Writing style matters. We each have different writing styles and approaches. More important, writing is another passion of ours. Music, writing, craft beer… these are unfuckwithable.
-All of this proves, we are transparent. What metrics are other company’s using? How many times did they listen before posting a review? Are they implying they are the final word on an album or artist? Fuck if I know.
*speaking of dual perspectives. See where our areas of “expertise” and/or general interests lie:
How best to use this site:
–The search bar is handy. Scroll to the bottom of the page for the search bar. You can search tags such as artist, album, genre, specific release date, release year, and rating (out of 5… For example, type “4”).
-If your tastes align well with ours, the Anticipated Releases section will be especially useful. The combination of genre’s found on our release calendar is uncommon. Especially when it comes to underground music.
–Actually listen to the music we link. Think about the passion these releases inspired. This is a passion project for us. We are sharing out of love, taking time from our busy lives to express how much we love an album or band. Bands and albums that inspire this kind of response deserve a listen or five!
Valley View Music 