This album is an amazing blend of instrumentation, sound effects, and outstanding percussive creativity. The Album Leaf is the solo project of Jimmy LaValle of Tristeza. He has recorded many other albums including (but not limited to) "An Orchestrated Rise To Fall," One Day I'll Be On Time", etc. Because of his multi-instrumental talents, he is able to record whole albums with pretty much just himself.
The thing about In A Safe Place that distinguishes it from the rest of his work is how it was made. While most of The Album Leaf's albums are recordings of LaValle's improvisations, this album was made with the help of Sigur Ros and recorded in their studio. The fact that it was recorded with Sigur Ros gives it a unique blend and somewhat of a different style, which contributes to its uniqueness. There are songs on the album such as "Thule" which are more upbeat and lively, while other songs such as "Over The Pond" have a few foreign lyrics and create a wonderful emotional mood. Of course, the Album Leaf is still 99% instrumental!
The thing about In A Safe Place that distinguishes it from the rest of his work is how it was made. While most of The Album Leaf's albums are recordings of LaValle's improvisations, this album was made with the help of Sigur Ros and recorded in their studio. The fact that it was recorded with Sigur Ros gives it a unique blend and somewhat of a different style, which contributes to its uniqueness. There are songs on the album such as "Thule" which are more upbeat and lively, while other songs such as "Over The Pond" have a few foreign lyrics and create a wonderful emotional mood. Of course, the Album Leaf is still 99% instrumental!
Breakdown:
The pianos on this album are wonderful. While LaValle has been making music for many years, he still manages to come up with new and completely unique ideas on his Rhodes piano. His expression is perfect for the style he is going for, and just about everything he does on the ivories contributes immensely to the songs.
The percussion on this album is also grand. While we do experience the familiar filtered drumbeats in the album a lot of times, there are a few tracks with a full set. Thule is one such song, and the beat is awesome. While much like most beats, the snare work and accents create a different sort of feel which fits right in with LaValle's keyboard work.
The guitars and bass on the album are also fantastic. The bass does not play a huge role in The Album Leaf's songs, but does add a lot and keep things together, while forcing the lower end of the songs to a wonderful level. The guitars, also, are not very featured but are used enough to create a wonderful blend and a forceful point in the songs.
The strings, sound effects and voices, are much like the guitars. While not featured, they are used enough and in proper ways as to make the listening experience quite enjoyable.
The percussion on this album is also grand. While we do experience the familiar filtered drumbeats in the album a lot of times, there are a few tracks with a full set. Thule is one such song, and the beat is awesome. While much like most beats, the snare work and accents create a different sort of feel which fits right in with LaValle's keyboard work.
The guitars and bass on the album are also fantastic. The bass does not play a huge role in The Album Leaf's songs, but does add a lot and keep things together, while forcing the lower end of the songs to a wonderful level. The guitars, also, are not very featured but are used enough to create a wonderful blend and a forceful point in the songs.
The strings, sound effects and voices, are much like the guitars. While not featured, they are used enough and in proper ways as to make the listening experience quite enjoyable.
Overall:
Overall, I would give the album a 8.5/10. It's a wonderful album that I would recommend to anyone for a wonderful listen!
Love,
Joseph
Love,
Joseph
