New Music of the Day : LXVIII – Only Friend – Valley Maker

Life rarely provides obvious answers. But if you appreciate the beauty and wonder of exploring its complex mysteries, then Seattle’s Valley Maker deserves your undivided attention. Recorded on opposite ends of the country, and composed during a nomadic period spanning two continents the forthcoming album,When I Was A Child features twelve originals that contemplate life, love, and death, faith and doubt, time and space.

“Songwriting is a way to approach unanswerable questions, these experiences that don’t have easy conclusions,” says Austin Crane, the 27 year-old multi-instrumentalist and songwriter behind Valley Maker. “It’s a way to dwell on history and ask these big questions with other people.”

Distinctive finger-picking, unconventional tunings, and plaintive vocals anchor Crane’s music. Throughout this record, longtime collaborator Amy Godwin intertwines her voice intuitively with his; the end result sounds less like two individuals harmonizing than one who sings with astonishing depth and dimension.