Forward / Return - The Album Leaf (2012)

Ideated from: Fall music, things that make me think of the autumn for one reason or another

Jimmy LaValle is the one driving The Album Leaf. His music takes a post rock approach to the soft, melodic side of pop music. There are few hard edges here. Synths, drums, piano, and all sorts of other sounds balance nicely on each track.

I always think there’s a tendency in music to see pleasant sounds as being somehow lazy, and unpleasant ones to be “real art.” The most dissonant noise rock is often taken seriously, while great-sounding records like this get dismissed as easy-listening elevator music. But I just don’t believe that the only real way to make a lasting impression is to make people uncomfortable. Spend some time with this one and maybe you’ll see what I mean.