Valentino, Georgio 'the Dove'
You Brought A Knife To A Gunfight
The bitter, banana-flavored title track sets the tone with its overstated hostility traipsing to the tango for a spell before summoning a regular bash-fest, obliged by drummer Ben Luckett. The disc is buttressed with a new version of the Dove's debut a-side as well as another winning experiment in pop-- the bright, jangly 'Here I Come (And There You Go)'--, that comes complete with pizzicato strings and spaghetti western guitar solo. But elsewhere Valentino eschews tight, hook-laden songwriting in favor of atmosphere and dynamics. 'I Won't Betray You'-- an homage to Chuck Berry's infamous home video ('I'll never forget what Chuck Berry said as he leant in regret to stroke that poor girl's piss-soaked hair: I won't betray you.')-- is equal parts glacial meditation and apocalyptic convulsion. Finally, closing the set, 'the Stranger' might be equally at home on Low, had David Lynch joined Bowie and Eno in the control room."