The Album Leaf - Between Waves
(Relapse Records)
Out Now
LP / CD / DL
8/10
Review by Amy Tweddle of We Are Quasars and
mylittlebrother.
L.A. based band The Album Leaf return
with their sixth studio album 'Between Waves' released through Relapse
Records. Jimmy LaValle (songwriter)
claims to have been influenced by iconic bands/artists Can, Harmonia, Cluster
and Brian Eno to name a few, and even though those influences do shine through
on this record, their sound remains very
much their own.
Album opener 'False Dawn' is
everything a dawn should be: Relaxed yet
invigorating. In fact, you could
describe the rest of the album as such, even the tracks with vocals (I should
point out that the majority of this album is instrumental) still carry with
them a sense of calm. I'm a great believer in certain albums should
be listened to at certain times of the day, and 'Between Waves' is definitely a
morning listen, and the more I listen to it the more I want to listen to it. I found
myself drifting off more than once - in a good way. Even
with titles like 'False Dawn' and 'Lost in the Fog' one still gleans a sense of
hope, a sense of 'everything will be ok'.
This is a positive album. I'm
actually struggling to find a weak track - it is a steady and cohesive effort
from The Album Leaf. That said, I do
prefer the instrumental tracks more but that's just personal preference, in
particular 'Lost in the Fog', 'False Dawn' and 'Glimmering Lights' stand out to
me the most and it's nice to hear some different instrumentation being
introduced towards the end of 'Glimmering Lights' in the form of a guitar lick. 'Between Waves' is yet another solid and
captivating effort from LaValle and co, but come on, would we expect anything
less?
The album is available to order in
various physical formats from their site
(thealbumleaf.com) or you can download from their bandcamp page (all
physical formats are also available through bandcamp). But, if you really like this album I'd highly
recommend hunting out the limited vinyl version (limited to 200 copies) which
comes in a translucent royal blue and is stunning.
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