Into The Blue Again
The Album Leaf
September 8, 2006
Sub Pop
The Album Leaf
September 8, 2006
Sub Pop
Don't quite while you are ahead. That's what LaValle must've thought. Because "Into The Blue Again" is recounting the steps The Album Leaf's mastermind has been doing for over 5 years now. With the Rhodes piano and electronic programming as a foundation he patiently crafts beautiful melodic ambient tracks with an immense power and restraint. After a number of releases, however, some sort of evolution would have been welcome.
On Always For You, LaValle takes on vocalist duties as well, which is something that started seeping into his work in the past couple of years. While his arrangements often have no need for vocals or lyrics, LaValle proved that the insertion of such can enrich his tunes. This time, however, it strips down the song too far and takes away everything that could've made it expressive.
All in all, "Into The Blue Again" is a solid release that showcases LaValle's talents as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist. The melodies and soundscapes are pleasant and beautiful but it is exactly what we've come to expect from him. There's no real glimmer of excitement or evolution on the whole of the record. Into The Sea has soundtrack potential but for the most part the album only has bits and pieces that are cause for excitement (an intro here, a sudden swell or interesting dynamic there, etc.) but overall, albeit of decent quality, the album is rather bland compared to the standards LaValle has set for himself.
On Always For You, LaValle takes on vocalist duties as well, which is something that started seeping into his work in the past couple of years. While his arrangements often have no need for vocals or lyrics, LaValle proved that the insertion of such can enrich his tunes. This time, however, it strips down the song too far and takes away everything that could've made it expressive.
All in all, "Into The Blue Again" is a solid release that showcases LaValle's talents as an arranger and multi-instrumentalist. The melodies and soundscapes are pleasant and beautiful but it is exactly what we've come to expect from him. There's no real glimmer of excitement or evolution on the whole of the record. Into The Sea has soundtrack potential but for the most part the album only has bits and pieces that are cause for excitement (an intro here, a sudden swell or interesting dynamic there, etc.) but overall, albeit of decent quality, the album is rather bland compared to the standards LaValle has set for himself.
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