Nothing Valley

Limited edition orange colored vinyl LP pressing Melkbelly, formed by vets of Chicago's experimental and DIY scene champions, organized noise and thoughtful freneticism on it's debut full-length, Nothing Valley, fusing dreamy vocal lines and cantankerous guitar racket. It's songs clang and bang in stripped-down production that highlights the band's sharp edges; multi-faceted slabs of sound serve harmonious, immediate songs. So it shouldn't be a surprise that the band members' tastes run obscure-The Hecks, Lightning Bolt, and jazz drummer Paal Nilssen-Love and, as they tell us, "bands and musicians that draw on a sense of adventure." The quartet's membership overlaps with several Chicago noise and experimental bands and art collectives. Nothing Valley was recorded in early 2016 in Vettraino's basement studio to 8-track analog tape. Fresh off a West Coast tour, the band let the hours on the road and missed art tourism opportunities at Spiral Jetty shape the songs as well as the recording process itself, writing half the album material in the studio. Nothing Valley breezes gust fresh and forcefully.