STICKMAN RECORDS Walking Up That Valley [VINYL]

Needlepoint is a Norwegian group that straddles the border between jazz and prog, carrying the torch of legends such as Soft Machine, ELP, and Camel with a unique Nordic voice. Their upcoming album Walking Up That Valley evokes nostalgia while exploring avenues all its own, feeling both new and familiar at once. Needlepoint was formed by guitarist/ vocalist Bjørn Klakegg around 2010, with the band's debut being released that same year on Klakegg's own label. A renowned guitarist and figure within the Norwegian jazz scene, Klakegg found his old British rock heroes from the 70's step out of the fog of the past when he first met bassist Nikolai Hængsle (Elephant9, Møster!), and thus the Needlepoint sound was born. By 2015, the current lineup was solidified with Olaf Olsen and David Wallumrød, making the band a formidable collection of talent some might deem a Norwegian supergroup. Walking Up That Valley continues the line of development from the band's past two releases, Aimless Mary (2015) and The Diary Of Robert Reverie (2018), which dug more deeply into the Canterbury prog only hinted at by the band's first outings. With the group's maturity has come continued exploration, evinced in a plethora of instruments heard across the album: harpsichord, violin, flute, a choir and more add layers of sonic beauty to an album already bursting with ideas. Between dreamy vintage keyboards, busy drums and percussion, mindbending, jazz-tinged guitar work and deft bass lines, Klakegg's soft and melodious voice finds room in the mix, tying the album together with tales from the road between reality and fantasy. Walking Up That Valley is sure to please fans of prog, 70's rock, jazz and even folk rock.