Della Valle – Pink Elephants / 2005 Rock A Stache / 9 Tracks / http://www.dellavallemusic.com / Reviewed 15 February 2006

There is an interesting decision made by the people in Della Valle to mix equal parts pop-rock with emo music, to make something that is intimate while still being able to rock listeners to their foundation. The lush instrumentation that await listeners during tracks like “Face of Tomorrow” will caress them like the smoothest Lothario, while each lyric that spouts full-grown from the vocalist’s mouth will surely be sung at Della Valle shows all over the United States.

This is college-rock, this is emo, this is vital and this is fun; “Pink Elephants” show that the talent of Della Valle isn’t an illusion. In a sense, the theatrical nature of Della Valle has not been done this well since Hedwig and the Angry Inch; with all this pomp, one would expect the band to not be vitally attached to their listeners. Individuals would be wrong; the band is approachable and friendly throughout this disc. The first track that really distinguishes itself from the rest of the disc Is “Driving Around in Circles”; instead of being a complete rewrite of what the band stands for, it is just a subtle but considerable shift in the band’s tone. What one can compare this track to is something that mixes the alternative rock of the nineties with Adam Duritz and the nineties Counting Crows; pop-infused but not devoid of interesting content. As the disc continues to speak, Della Valle continues to climb up the ladder of notoriety; like Bryan Adams tracks before it, “Now U Know” is a track that could be played anytime in the next twenty-five years without it showing its age in the least.

There are hints of both John Cougar and Fastball in “Now U Know”; this diversity will give the track (and the disc) quite a few more spins before it gets tiring. Without a blemish to bring down this disc, Della Valle has an unqualified success on this album. Even tying a little Pink Floyd into their sound for “My New Retreat”, Della Valle have something for everyone but insist on packaging it with quite a large segment of their own distinct sound. Even starting off a track with an acoustic feel (“In Your Head”), Della Valle are infallible; everything that they do is destined to hit listeners hard, grab them, and never let them go. Check them out if they are playing live around you; I don’t doubt that they can transfer the energy of “Pink Elephants” to a live setting.

Top Tracks: In Your Head , Pink Elephants

Rating: 7.6/10

[JMcQ]