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“Drifts somewhere between Mogwai's softest moments and Her Space Holiday's wry prettiness.” MOJO At the core of THE ALBUM LEAF have always been Jimmy LaValle’s melodic daydreams personified. Droning organs, soft keyboards, and delayed guitars gently layered to provide the perfect soundtrack as late-night lullabies. With his first two full-length releases, An Orchestrated Rise to Fall (1999) and One Day I’ll Be On Time (2001), LaValle created the unique sound of The Album Leaf. However, 2004’s In a Safe Place featured chilling embellishments from members of Iceland’s Sigur Rós, Múm, and Amiina, and the project took on a completely different identity. INTO THE BLUE AGAIN, the fourth full-length album, sees a return to THE ALBUM LEAF’S conception with LaValle handling virtually all of the instrumental duties. “Following a year-and-a-half of straight touring, I took a break from worrying only about where THE ALBUM LEAF was going, and instead concentrated on the best parts of what it’s been this entire time,” says LaValle. Bottled up on the road long enough after years of stints with bands like the instrumental Tristeza, post-hardcore The Locust, punk-funkers GoGoGo Airheart, and The Black Heart Procession, LaValle felt the need to slow down in late 2005. Using time afforded by the success of In a Safe Place, LaValle sequestered himself for six months in his San Diego house to compose new songs. This increase of downtime resulted in his fourth full-length, INTO THE BLUE AGAIN. The personally-charged album of 10 tracks exhibits an elegant assurance afforded by LaValle’s more settled relationships at home. It is not only a return to the stripped down beginnings of the band, but also a confident step forward. The classic placidity of THE ALBUM LEAF is still delivered in tracks such as opener “The Light,” and LaValle has also composed more beat-driven, insistent cuts like “Shine” and “Red-Eye.” Most noticeable is the fact that LaValle has taken a note from the success of his first vocal outing “On Your Way” from In A Safe Place. INTO THE BLUE AGAIN showcases his increasingly buoyant voice, which strikes a heightened presence on the selections “Always for You”, “Writings on the Wall”, and “Wherever I Go.” Alongside the influence of the time that LaValle spent writing at home, much of the sound of INTO THE BLUE AGAIN can be owed to the fact that he decided to employ his own equipment, which was not possible on the last record since it was recorded completely in Iceland. LaValle loaded up a van with his gear and held his initial three-week tracking session with Ryan Hadlock at the earthy Bear Creek Studio, a converted turn-of-the-century barn isolated outside Seattle. Here LaValle worked with only a few collaborators: drum programmer and engineer Josh Eutis of Telefon Tel Aviv, The Black Heart Procession’s Pall Jenkins on vocal harmonies, and also violinist Matt Resovich and guitarist Matt Resovich, who perform with THE ALBUM LEAF live. LaValle then took the concentric layers of feathered keyboards, filmy strings and chiseled drums to Sundlaugin, the Icelandic studio of Sigur Rós, for three weeks of mixing to tape with engineer Brigir Jon Birgisson, who also contributed some instrumental parts to the album. Sundlaugin, also the studio used for In a Safe Place, is a former swimming pool turned into a primarily analog recording facility. This contoured, textural environment has always lent itself well to LaValle’s lustrous, resounding palette. INTO THE BLUE AGAIN is undeniably warm, and it’s obvious that Jimmy LaValle has once again found where THE ALBUM LEAF resonates most effectively. “THE ALBUM LEAF is my little solo endeavor, my little toy,” says LaValle in summation. “It’s something to keep you happy when you’re alone and frustrated. THE ALBUM LEAF » In A Safe Place « |
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