The Album Leaf

Into the Blue Again

(Sub Pop)

Record Review by Alexis Roberts

After putting himself under a strict house arrest for about six months to write, Jimmy LaValle has offered up something fresh and new from his one man project, The Album Leaf. The success of his last album triggered a relentless year-and-a-half of touring, so by the time he was done with it he was ready to become somewhat of a hermit and try and get back into the mindset which helped him create In a Safe Place. It also didn’t hurt that numerous songs off of that album were used on TV shows and gave him some extra income to allow such a lifestyle.

With Into the Blue Again, Jimmy’s songs seem to be individual stories. They are soft and sweet, and feature the violin work of Matt Resovich (part of The Album Leaf’s live band, and also a contributor on In a Safe Place), as well as the engineering techniques of Brigir Jon Birgisson (best known for his work with Icelandic sweethearts Sigur Ros). Not to say that The Album Leaf sounds much like Sigur Ros but you can hear certain similarities in their styles, and I could see Sigur Ros fans jumping on the Album Leaf wagon.

Many of the songs are instrumental tunes with piano, bells, synth, guitar and violin; but Jimmy does stretch his vocal chords on this CD as well. In songs like “Wherever I Go,” his voice is the main feature. Although his music is somewhat dreamy, his voice is very hollow and monotone, adding an interesting amount of contrast to the songs.

The range of emotion that listeners will come across on this CD is astounding as the songs could be described as anything from bubbly to haunting. Who’s to know what someone is feeling when they are writing a song? (Other than the writer, of course.) The mystery behind these songs is just as important as the songs themselves.