Maybe it’s the title, or maybe it’s the controlled push of Danielle Duval’s voice, but every time I listen to Of the Valley, my first thought is that it would probably fair best as the soundtrack to some ’90s high school drama cult-classic flick. “Set in the heat of Beverly Hills, a group of friends try to find themselves… yadayadayada.” “Control” would start up as the theatre darkens, and a sequence of pre-school morning-routine acts begins. “It’s Obvious” seems so fitting for any ‘busted behind the bleachers’ scene. (Re: “It’s obvious we have a crush / We made a fuss the both of us” and “We stayed up late / Made all the noise the neighbours hate”) “Day Becomes Night,” which opens with a quick sec of low-fi fuzz and blasts into fast-paced strums, is the angsty prom night conclusion. That isn’t meant as a criticism either – that’s actually what makes this album so likable, and rationalizes the numerous accounts of in-car dance attacks that has occurred since I first listening to this one. Anywayz, by the sounds on Of the Valley, Danielle Duval is the kind of chick you’d want to be friends with. She’s tough, she rocks out (yes, verb) on the guitar, and yet she’s not so x-core that you’re scared she’d beat you up. Of the Valley is enjoyable femme rock; a contemporary twist on the classic stuff of catchy melodies. A couple of the tracks off this album are extremely infectious, and have definitely been blasted through my stereo more than once. (People Play Records, ofthevalley.com/) Victoria King