Artist Profile: The Album Leaf
Jimmy LaValle is one of the most talented and musically diversified individuals currently gracing this planet with his presence. A member of no less than five bands, all of which are virtually indistinguishable from one another, the classically trained pianist has no shortage of outlets for his unrivaled creativity. One would be hard-pressed to find two bands more different than The Locust and The Album Leaf, yet LaValle is a member of both. He is also a member of Tristeza, Black Heart Procession, and GoGoGo Airheart, though I am personally of the opinion that The Album Leaf is LaValle’s greatest accomplishment to date.
The Album Leaf is the moniker LaValle records under when creating music as a solo artist, and his solo side is very electronics-driven and unmeasurably chill (indeed, “Twentytwofourteen”, one of the tracks from his latest full-length, In A Safe Place, found its way on to All Things Go’s Sleep Mix, which I highly recommend you check out). The Album Leaf’s debut, An Orchestrated Rise To Fall, was released in 1999, though I feel LaValle did not truly hit his stride as a solo artist until the 2001 release of his sophomore LP, One Day I’ll Be On Time.
A San Diego native, LaValle found the inspiration for his latest full-length, In A Safe Place, in Mosfellsbaer, on the western coast of Iceland. On Sigur Ros’s first tour of the United States, the band and LaValle were introduced and became friends; several tours later LaValle began performing with Sigur Ros at their shows. After years of invitations, LaValle gave in and made the trek to Iceland, which he described as, “crazy rolling countryside with horses and ponds … very surreal.” LaValle believes that the music he makes is perfect for the setting Iceland provides, and I imagine that if I were ever lucky enough to go to Iceland (it’s one of my life goals) that I would wholeheartedly agree. In A Safe Place was recorded entirely in the converted swimming pool studio Sigur Ros used to record ( ) with the help of Sigur Ros, members of Sigur Ros opener mainstays Amiina, and ex-Mum cellist Gyda Valtysdottir, and stands as LaValle’s finest work to date. Sigur Ros lead singer Jonsi Birgisson lends his haunting tenor to “Over The Pond”, and “The Outer Banks” and “Eastern Glow” are, though drastically different from each other, possibly The Album Leaf’s two finest tracks. LaValle himself was even convinced to sing on “Eastern Glow”, and the resulting vocal track is quite touching. The song made an appearance on one of the Music From The OC mixes (I believe Volume 2, but don’t quote me), resulting in LaValle’s biggest break yet, and though his gorgeous and intricate songs are hardly mass-marketable, the pure beauty of them have an undeniable appeal (LaValle would get another break when “Twentytwofourteen” became a recurring musical theme in the final episodes of The OC’s second season).
Recorded before In A Safe Place but released afterwards is the Seal Beach EP, which serves as a perfect bridge from the more ambient sounds of One Day I’ll Be On Time to the more beat-driven and vaguely more pop-oriented songs that make up In A Safe Place. Standout track “Brennivin” is available for download below. The bonus edition of the Seal Beach EP also included five live recordings, two of which saw LaValle performing two of the standout tracks from One Day I’ll Be On Time, “Wet The Day” and “The MP”, in a concert setting; those two tracks are also downloadable at the bottom of the post.
Derek posted The Album Leaf’s only music video to date (though one for “Twentytwofourteen” is in the works), for “On Your Way”, over on Videoteque, so you should all head over there when you’re done grabbing all the tracks here. He’s made an mp3 and an iPod-compatible m4v available for download, which are definitely worth checking out.
Finally, The Album Leaf made a split 7″ for Better Looking Records in 2001 with none other than indie/emo poster boy Conor Oberst. Of course, the Bright Eyes/Album Leaf collaboration track, “Hungry For A Holiday”, is also available for download as well.
MP3s (from One Day I’ll Be On Time):
The Album Leaf, The Audio Pool
The Album Leaf, Vermillion
MP3s (from In A Safe Place):
The Album Leaf, The Outer Banks [highly recommended]
The Album Leaf, Over The Pond (ft. Jonsi from Sigur Ros)
The Album Leaf, Eastern Glow [highly recommended]
MP3s (from Seal Beach EP):
The Album Leaf, Brennivin
Live MP3s (originally recorded for One Day I’ll Be On Time):
The Album Leaf, Wet The Day (Live in Atlanta)
The Album Leaf, The MP (Live in Atlanta)
Bonus MP3:
The Album Leaf & Bright Eyes, Hungry For A Holiday