Plenty of 21st-century Orange County rockershave been able to successfully mine 1960s and 1970s influences with authenticity, but using the 1980s as a blueprint has been more elusive.
However, there is enough fearlessness, beauty and winning songwriting from Vale to fuel an entire movement. The quartet, whose aptly titled second album, "Dislocate the Heart," has been burning up my CD player for weeks, boasts an overall sound that conjures up the sonic echoes of seminal artists such as U2, the Cure, Psychedelic Furs and the Church. But Vale's original songsstand so strongly on their own and are imbedded with such an exhilarating blend of melancholy and melody, they really do shine in the here and now.
-Robert Kinsler (OCRegister)
