The Album Leaf
Jimmy Lavalle wants to shake post-rock out of its obsession with form.
His first two records were as close as you can get to pure feeling and not be accused of slumming or, worse, jamming. His layered approach was highly appreciated by Sigur Ros, for whom he opened on an American tour and who invited him to their Iceland studio to record his third album. The result is less collaborative than communal, a melting pot rather than a mixed salad. Though Lavalle's gift for simple melodic hooks didn't leave him, the attention made him self-conscious. A little more of his pointed iconoclasm might have made the album more distinctive. In other words, more violin and cello, less droopy keyboards and skittery drum machines. Put it another way: more Satie, less Brian Eno.
RED MARQUEE, 7/27, 2:00 pm
