From the second this Sydney band’s debut album starts spinning in your CD player, you’ll find yourself drowning in a wave of synthesized symphony.
Artificial Heart is an absolutely brilliant piece of electronica and not only is the motif of the title played up to a T – the CD is labelled as an “Installing Disc”, and even the press release comes across more like a notification from the doctor’s office – but it really says something that Valley Forge was able to craft such an intriguing soundtrack straight off the bat. Things get off to an appropriate start with Power Up, which – after a cavalcade of offbeat and industrial sounds – closes on the high-pitched beeping of a heart monitor. The second track, Machine-Built Rythym, sets the tone for the majority what remains: A wondrous and entrancing fusion of digitized dialogue, synthesizers, and a hefty amount of bass.
A few pop-styled vocal offerings get thrown into the mix and even Kamahl (yes, you read correctly) makes a guest appearance on the 11th – and second-to-last – track, Wayfaring Stranger. I can honestly say that I appreciate Valley Forge’s willingness to experiment since its something that – in my experience – bands don’t do enough of. But that said, these tracks really did throw me for a loop and it took me a moment or two to get back into the groove of things.
But the sudden tonal shifts present are in no way a bad thing, because it helps make the album unique, and its great to hear such strong and energetic efforts from Australian bands. Artificial Heart is, without a doubt, a truly transcendental trip of an album. Its off-kilter, inconsistent, and its easily one of the most structurally bizarre albums I’ve heard in a while. To be completely honest, the only other album I’ve heard I could possibly compare to this would be Daft Punk’s TRON: Legacy film score. And if that doesn’t speak of Valley Forge’s talents, I really don’t know what will.
