Review - Into the Blue Again 8.6/10

The latest release from multi-instrumentalist Jimmy LaValle a.k.a. The Album Leaf expands on the distinctive, ethereal sound established on his previous records. LaValle delicately crafts songs reminiscent of Sigur Ros in orchestral grandeur, but with abundant use of a Rhodes piano and programmed drum beats, Into The Blue Again is distinctively Album Leaf. Enlisting Pall Jenkins to help with writing lyrics, LaValle's vocals are more prominent than ever before. On the second track, "Always For You", LaValle sings "Through the cities I've walked / In castles I dream / On mountains I've climbed / When I called your name". Paired lush, layered sounds, the album evokes a cinematic quality in which the protagonist is a weary lovelorn traveler . Each song slowly builds into an inspiring crescendo and is resolved in seven minutes or less. In the iTunes era, in which singles take precedent over full albums, LaValle has succeeded in creating a cohesive, flawlessly integrated record. Recorded in Washington and mixed in Iceland, Into The Blue Again transports the listener to equally familiar and distant places. Tranquility never sounded this good.