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Valery Gore returns with her self-produced sophomore album, Avalanche To Wandering Bear. Her debut on Do Right Music, it’s the record she’s wanted to make since she began writing songs, a waif whispering lost tunes in the basement so those above ground couldn’t hear.
Avalanche To Wandering Bear is borne of stubborn restlessness. The curiosity, trepidation, and victory of discovery are wrapped in a heavy dose of danceable rhythms, soul, and humour. With its tumbled lyrics, unconventional arrangements, and progressive piano, Avalanche sets the mood for a bold audio journey.
The album features a handful of singles; Shoes of Glass has lush vocals harmonies and a steady 1950’s momentum. Worried Head is charismatic in its lyrics and full with driving Motown horns. Scared pays homage to jazz fusion singer Karin Krog and lends an esoteric metaphor to the album name. Consolation’s harmonium arrangement and solid piano is a rough outline of Gore’s admiration of producer Jon Brion’s work.
The piano tones of Avalanche range from the prestigious Steinway of CBC’s Glenn Gould studio to the grittiness of The Hive’s cranky upright. The first blending seamlessly with the epic woodwinds of Sparrow, and the second setting the vaudeville-esque Red Eye Family against a backdrop of ticking pipes, settling rain and distant ghosts.
Engineered and mixed by Tim Abraham, this album’s depth and dynamic is matched by the musicians who made their mark on it: Devon Henderson on bass, Dan Neill on drums, Trent Reschny on saxophones and clarinets, and Ben Bowen on trumpet.
The Toronto-based pianist and songwriter began her musical journey from the age of eight, tapping unemotional melodies on the black keys. Valery’s performing repertoire grew from songs about bees and snack time to the classical masterpieces of Chopin, Debussy, and Liszt. All the while her ears were tuned to her dad’s playlist of 70’s - 90’s rock. Gore topped it off with jazz piano studies at Humber College and wove these disparate sounds into her own undefinable genre.
Her self-titled debut album was released in 2005 with Six Shooter Records in Canada and Europe. She toured Canada, Italy, and Japan, headlining and supporting such artists as Jorane, Josh Ritter, Joel Plaskett, and more.
Valery Gore’s words and music transcend emotions, force you to gear-down and listen, feel. Avalanche to Wandering Bear is Valery’s “lifejacket to the drowning.”
