Matt Valentine and Erika Elder continue their inexorable journey into the heart of the American Universal Cosmic Music. As a title, Barn Nova perfectly captures the melding of the deep rural and deep space that gives this album its charm. The slap and slide boogie of "Get Right Church" is earthbound in its dance shuffle, while "Summer Magic" has the same epic star-spangled grandeur that defined Neil Young's finest mid-70s albums (J Mascis of Dinosaur Jr's guitar and drum contribution is a significant influence on this album). The sheer weight of releases from this duo mean their style is only slowly cohering as they pendulum from acoustic free folk drones to full on electric assaults. However, if Barn Nova does usher in their mature style, there is much to celebrate. Nick Southgate/The Wire December

After five years and 20-plus albums-- most released on their own Child of Microtones label-- MV & EE's 2006 move to Ecstatic Peace began on a high note. "East Mountain Joint", the opening track on Green Blues, is a hypnotic hymn to unscheduled freedom, and it's catchy without losing the duo's loose, do-what-we-feel-like vibe Š Like Green Blues, it starts with the strongest material, the kind of songs that cohere without constricting. "Feelin' Fine" is like a skeletal version of "East Mountain Joint", with a steady shuffle that gives Valentine's ghostly moans a pulse. The swaying "Get Right Church" is even better. Here Elder's chants about journeys home and evening trains support a web of overlapping guitars, presumably belonging to Valentine and longtime producer/collaborator J MascisŠthey continue to float freely through space, shooting at stars of every size and occasionally connecting squarely with some big ones. Marc Masters/Pitchfork.com, October 22, 2009