We All Need A Reason To Believe,
Valencia
You'd have thought after 3,000+ reviews I'd have mastered the art of writing clearly and concisely. The problem is, when I hear an album and fall in love with it I get all fan-boyed up and struggle to write succinctly. I tend to get all excited and the words come out all wrong. Valencia's first album had me in a lexical lather and this one is no different. The thing is, this record is nothing short of brilliant. It has everything that makes a record great - it has riffs, it has huge singalongs and it has raw emotion. It's that power, the tugging of the heartstrings, that's what makes a record great rather than good. It separates the wheat from the chaff.
It's a pity the band's well documented problems inspired such a brilliant album. And despite all of the dark moments that go along with 'We All Need...' there's a feeling of hope at the end of it all. It's like the band know that no matter what shit is thrown at us, it will all work out for the best in the end. Take 'Holiday', for instance. It's arguably the best song on the album anyway, but despite all the gloom ('Life's not the same since you've gone away') it ends with a message of hope. And it's that hope that sets Valencia apart from the slew of pop-punk bands who think they can do it as well as this lot. They simply can't.
What makes this record better than the first album is the variation. While bands often chuck in slower songs for the Hell of it, Valencia do it because the album requires it. 'Carry On' is gorgeous. The quicker songs are great too. 'Safe To Say' and 'Listen Up' will have you singing back in no time. It' safe to say there is not a single bad song on this record. And the sequencing works brilliantly too as the album flows perfectly.
'We All Need A Reason To Believe' is a great, great album, both musically and lyrically. It's one of those albums you need to listen to from start to finish, taking it all in. You sing along, you pour your heart out...you live it. Bands like Valencia really do give us all a reason to believe...
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