The Album Leaf
Into The Blue Again
Sub Pop Records

The Album Leaf is Jimmy LaValle's (formerly a member of Tristeza, also a member of the Black Heart Procession) band project of creating what's said to be "moody, keyboard based ambiences". Into the Blue Again is his fourth album, and the songs are so fragile and dreamy, working so pleasantly they're almost working as sedatives.

Imagine Brian Eno (check the 'hit' song "Always For You") fronting Boards of Canada, performing songs by Low. Or something like that. Into the blue again isn't about guitars. The majority of the instrumentation is centred around a variety of Korg instruments and other pianos/keyboards of various kinds. 7 of the 10 songs are instrumentals, and the music of LaValle somehow occur like paintings. The songs are long-stretched and slow-floating, making spacey moods of light blue. Must be kept safely away from sunlight, even daylight - I guess the songs and the sound will melt away.

File under: Music for bathtub evenings.

Copyright © 2006 Håvard Oppøyen