Send "Valencia " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Sputnikmusic |
 While many stalwarts deny the continued presence of the genre, there are indeed some pop-punk bands left in existence. Not surprisingly however, many of these outfits use the old-fashioned definition of pop-punk to gain a foothold in the industry, before moving on to a more expansive sound which is likely to attract a wider audience. Worryingly, it is almost becoming predictable as to the sound these bands will wheel out from album to album. A raw debut’s rough-edged pop-punk is likely to move into a mainstream form of alternative rock on album #2, which will in turn be further fleshed out in more ambitious fashion come the third LP. Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the latest band to follow such a formula; Philadelphian quintet Valencia. While such a formula suggests monotonous disappointment, it does not necessarily have to be the case, since it all depends on what strengths a given artist brings to the table (see Anberlin for a perfect example). In the case of Valencia, these assets are competent musicianship and unpretentious lead vocalist Shane Henderson. Take (the should have been closer) ‘Still Need You Around (Lost Without You)’ for instance… An emotional ballad which contains keys, strings and a handclap beat, it would have turned into melodramatic mush in the hands of most others. Yet, it works a treat due to Henderson’s vocal and lyrical sincerity. This genuine nature is a trait which the front-man established on predecessor ‘We All Need A Reason To Believe‘, following the tragic death of his girlfriend. Far from moping around depressingly, there is a sense of optimism permeating through the relatively standard relationship and life based themes on Valencia’s third LP ‘Dancing With A Ghost’. The cheery chorus-reliant title track opens proceedings and provides a nice bridge between releases, before follow-up ‘Spinning Out’ ends a refrain that begins “Spinning out, I think we’ve lost control” with “I know, somehow, some way, things will get better”. While lacking the highlights of the band’s previous two releases, being a touch too short (at 36 minutes) and could have done with a little more envelope pushing, ‘Dancing With A Ghost’ may well be Valencia’s most consistent and diverse offering yet. The dark and fuzzy ‘Consider Me Dead’ closes with anguished screaming. Strings and keys add atmosphere to ‘Somewhere I Belong’. The band cut loose with galloping drums and soaring lead guitars on both the hard-hitting ‘Losing Sleep’ and rollicking closer ‘Stop Searching’. While the semi-theatrical (almost My Chemical Romance like) ‘Friday Night’ is sure to be a live favourite with it’s “I f*cked up” led chorus and closing gang vocals....full text |
| Mycarandmyguitar |
| Valencia is certainly a band who managed to thrive in the face of adversity. When frontman Shane Henderson’s girlfriend passed away in an accident, the band took the worst situation possible and created the spectacular 2008 album We All Need A Reason To Believe, quite a bit of which makes reference to that horrible incident. I can’t help but keep Henderson’s loss in mind when looking at the title of their new record, Dancing With A Ghost. But Valencia have always written about longing, and that certainly hasn’t changed here. This new album is a natural progression from WANARTB. They’ve been moving steadily away from the more generic pop-punk sound over the past couple years, and here they’ve created their most mature and most sonically interesting album yet. From the strings that complement both bouncy rock numbers (“Friday Night”) and ballads (“Somewhere I Belong”) to some of the more electronic effects and the crunchier guitars on some other songs, this album is musically their most diverse. But that’s not to say that there aren’t giant pop hooks and catchy melodies. This album is without a doubt the Valencia of WANARTB and This Could Be a Possibility. Do you want to scream along to catchy hooks about “spinning out?” You can do that here. Do you want hear Henderson lament his longing and despair? You’ll find that here, too. This band has had an shroud of sadness hanging over them for a while now, and that’s always something that’s drawn me to them. They’re not singing about girls and parties and the typical pop-punk tropes. Valencia have always struck me as a more mature band than their peers....full text |
| Thealbumproject |
| Lyrically the songs are still dealing with the biggest tragedy that could ever befall someone, but musically ’Dancing With A Ghost’ hits on all the Pop/Punk style variants while keeping Valencia’s laser focus on catchy melodies front and center. I actually think this album combines the best of ‘This Could Be A Possibility’ with the obvious maturity the band has gained to create a perfect mixture for them....full text |
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