February 27, 2023
“Yirgacheffe / The Winds” are the solo fraternal double singles released by Valleyheart frontman, and freshly announced Tooth & Nail signing, Kevin Klein. The leading track, “Yirgacheffe” is the punchier crystalline brother track born with a music video shot by Mark Bloodworth.
[“The Winds” will hold the spotlight herein as the child of focus to share the love.]
Departing from the Valleyheart catalogue as a reference, which has continued to serve an array of fully framed heavy-hitting encapsulations of difficult-to-pin-down emotions to fold up into one’s back pocket, “The Winds” begins with a lighter setup less characteristic of Valleyheart material nonetheless all feels to be in its rightful place. Soft acoustic guitar picking begins and sets an air of welcome reminisce encouraged by strings performed by Abby Gundersen.
The song brings up the idea that insulation and playing it safe tends to outwit dealing in uncertainty with the opening lyric, “Hide behind an army of a million excuses of why our comfort triumphs over risk.” There is an embedded sense of urgency, even at a lesser level, to something like completing a puzzle or solving a crossword. It’s an achievable challenge that, when adequately completed, gives you a new piece of the world you live in — however small. Looking up at a map and pinpointing where it is you exist on its borders is a version of that, whether followed instead by a sense of relief or assurance rather than accomplishment.
"The Winds" carries a sense of emotional suspension, cycling seamlessly between observation and moments of pondering strung out on a line without stressing any particular order or symbolism to make sense of. Roughly two-thirds way through the song, pedal steel enters the chat with inviting warmth, giving the track an ambered feeling as if to signal the day’s end approaching as the guitars swirl and weave between the vocals and string arrangement. A satisfying instrumental wind-down follows and the emotional activity ring for the day closes.