Pretty Soily Company - 2025 - Pretty Soily Company

(46:20; Vallis Lupi)






















Henri Vaugrand (lead and backing vocals, bass guitars, bass pedals, acoustic and electric guitars, e-bow guitar, keyboards, drum programming and percussions) will probably always be best known for Grandval, whose debut album was released in 2016. He was joined in that project by Olivier Bonneau (keyboards, acoustic and electric guitars, drums, drum programming, percussions, bass pedals, lead and backing vocals) before the second album, and they also collaborated on the third, which was released in 2022. By this time Bonneau had been contributing more to the music, and then by the time of the planning for the fourth release both musicians were bringing music for discussion, but when Vaugrand provided lyrics in English they realised that potentially they were moving in quite a different direction, and this is the result. It didn’t seem right to release it as Grandval, even though that has always been Henri’s band, and Olivier has been the only other full member for the most recent two, as this finds them moving in a different direction altogether.

What we have here is a crossover progressive rock album with the odd hint of symphonic, and plenty of influences from the British indie scene of the Eighties which makes it quite a strange beast, and the first time I listened to it I was not quite sure how well it was working out. However, this is an album which improves the longer it is listened to, and while the first five tracks average less than five minutes in length, the sixth and final cut is more than 22 minutes long! It is here where the guys show off all their influences, bringing in plenty of Tangerine Dream, Hawkwind, Floyd at others, the result being a piece which is strangely addictive and totally enjoyable. While I have enjoyed Grandval, to me this is a step very much in the right direction and I find myself wondering what the pair may come up with next. This is prog which is somehow mainstream yet also very different indeed, and is well worth searching out. 

Kev Rowland, September 2025

Links:
https://www.facebook.com/prettysoilycompany
https://vallislupi.fr/

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