Album Leaf, The
An Orchestrated Rise To Fall [MF5]

An Orchestrated Rise to Fall is the debut solo album of Jimmy LaValle of Tristeza. He has been musically trained since the age of 4, mainly in the Romantic era of classical music, the era directly after the Classic period where musicians took the lead of Beethoven and put more emphasis on the emotional aspect of music. The name of his new solo project, The Album Leaf, may give this primary training away. The word "Albumblatt" was occasionally used in naming pieces in the Romantic era and translates, from German, to "album page" or "album leaf". The specific work LaValle takes the name from is a moderato written by Fre'de'ric Chopin in the 1840s.
Those familiar with the work of Chopin will hear its influence in An Orchestrated Rise to Fall. The Album Leaf is, in essence, a vehicle through which LaValle can experiment with and expand upon the styles he has studied. The interplay of piano, keyboards, and guitars creates a sense of warmth and eliminates any evidence of dry or technical pretension.
Most of the music on An Orchestrated Rise to Fall was recorded at home by Mike Vermillion, allowing LaValle the opportunity to improvise or iteratively refine the songs as the mood dictates. Many sounds were added for texture that would not fit into the milieu of his full band Tristeza: field recordings add ambient noise, taped conversations hiss and mumble, a blaring radio interrupts broadcasting a familiar refrain. It also provides him the opportunity to explore other genres like improvisational jazz and drum and bass while keeping a solid underpinning in his previous studies and works.
LaValle has created an album that will appeal to fans of Tristeza and those preferring music more intimate and soft.

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Album Leaf, The An Orchestrated Rise To Fall [MF5]
An Orchestrated Rise to Fall is the debut solo album of Jimmy LaValle of Tristeza. He has been musically trained since the age of 4, mainly in the Romantic era of classical music, the era directly after the Classic period where musicians took the lead of Beethoven and put more emphasis on the emotional aspect of music. The name of his new solo project, The Album Leaf, may give this primary training away. The word "Albumblatt" was occasionally used in naming pieces in the Romantic era and translates, from German, to "album page" or "album leaf". The specific work LaValle takes the name from is a moderato written by Fre'de'ric Chopin in the 1840s. Those familiar with the work of Chopin will hear its influence in An Orchestrated Rise to Fall. The Album Leaf is, in essence, a vehicle through which LaValle can experiment with and expand upon the styles he has studied. The interplay of piano, keyboards, and guitars creates a sense of warmth and eliminates any evidence of dry or technical pretension. Most of the music on An Orchestrated Rise to Fall was recorded at home by Mike Vermillion, allowing LaValle the opportunity to improvise or iteratively refine the songs as the mood dictates. Many sounds were added for texture that would not fit into the milieu of his full band Tristeza: field recordings add ambient noise, taped conversations hiss and mumble, a blaring radio interrupts broadcasting a familiar refrain. It also provides him the opportunity to explore other genres like improvisational jazz and drum and bass while keeping a solid underpinning in his previous studies and works. LaValle has created an album that will appeal to fans of Tristeza and those preferring music more intimate and soft.

[close]