Valery Gore is a Canadian goddess of indie pop, and Idols in the Dark Heart just may be her most ambitious record yet. The classically trained singer/songwriter plays around with electronically-charged melodies and distorted synthesizers to create this ear-melting sound, sure to blow you away. And if that isn’t enough, Gore’s vocals and songwriting really shine on Idols, giving first listeners a very mature impression of an amazing musician who has already gone so far for just three LPs.
Lyrically, the album takes on a rather dark tone, capturing raw human emotions in such a poetic manner. Gore observes in “Hummingbird in Reverse” that “we’re as loyal as fire…we stick around just long enough to burn things down.” I don’t recall ever hearing such an illustration of burning bridges and mending and breaking relationships as this one. The haunting, almost ritualistic beat of the song throughout is also worthy of noting.
Gore does not fail to impress with Idols by any means. She will leave you wanting more and you’ll want to keep coming back to her for beautiful descriptions and depictions of your feelings that you just can’t come up with yourself.
Valery Gore
Idols in the Dark Heart
Toronto, ON
(Self-released)
Follow on Twitter @valerygore