2012.09.29 The Album Leaf - There Is A Wind

Color: Black

Released: 2010, April 17

Label: Sub Pop

The Album Leaf WERE a band (a band of one primarily - former Tristeza member Jimmy LaValle) I was heavily interested in circa 2003. I was on board for their debut on Sub Pop in 2004 and it’s follow in 2006. Those releases were pleasant enough. The latter wasn’t offensive… but neither did it thrill. From that point the band practically drifted from my subconscious. I saw this release sitting on the shelf two Record Store Days ago and was honestly more interested in the design. Sub Pop has some good designers working for them, for sure and they often create a branded look to several of their releases that is handled impeccably from an aesthetic standpoint. Open to giving the band another shot and figuring that I would at least be adding a beautifully designed piece to my collection, I opted to purchase this. Musically it seems LaValle is in a similar place as that 2006 release - the sounds on this record are pleasant enough, but I’m left feeling like The Album Leaf are still a bit of watered down version of the band they were when they were releasing albums on the still-missed Tiger Style Records. So it is that I’ll get more enjoyment from the paper and typeface choices, the embossed inner sleeve and the center die-cuts on both sleeves allowing a peak at the record’s label that help make the overall presentation of this release extremely pleasing to the eye.