On
Naked Acid,
Valet, aka
Honey Owens, brings her music down to earth -- well, at least more than she did on
Valet's otherworldly debut
Blood Is Clean. Where that album felt like it was channeled though
Owens,
Naked Acid is more direct and grounded, even as it taps into hypnotic, primal sounds.
"We Went There" acts as an initiation rite or guided meditation into the rest of the album, its massed vocals and sparkling percussion giving way to lysergic guitar solos that pull the song into
Valet's characteristic deep drones. But even as
Naked Acid wades deeper into
Owens' organic sound, its pieces feel more distinct and separate than
Blood Is Clean's effortless flow:
"Fuck It"'s bluesy
acid-rock feels miles away from the slow, dark, tar pit-like ramblings of
"Babylon 4 Eva." Within each track, however,
Owens' gift for making dramatic changes sound natural shines, especially on
"Drum Movie," which moves from layers of
electronic drones to what sounds like a jet taking off; it's not until the song is a third of the way through that softly tribal drums and flutes make their presence known. Along with the deeply trippy atmosphere throughout,
Naked Acid's main constant is how seamlessly
Valet blends seemingly natural and overtly manipulated sounds into trance-inducing and hyper-real musical worlds. This is where
Owens really outdoes herself on the album, whether it's on relatively simple tracks like
"Kehaar" and
"Fire," where she uses just her voice, guitar and some judicious effects to make hauntingly lovely music, or
"Streets," where
electronic beats transform the ethereal vocals and synths into something very different from the rest of
Valet's music. A transitional album,
Naked Acid might be a shade less satisfying than
Blood Is Clean, but it takes
Owens' work in some intriguing new directions. ~ Heather Phares
![Far Beyond the Stars [Bonus Tracks]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0884860093620_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Far Beyond the Stars [Bonus Tracks]")
![Deeper Understanding [Digipack]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0075678660634_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Deeper Understanding [Digipack]")
