The Album Leaf - A dive into the blue

We meet Jimmy LaValle at the Magnolia during the rainy Milan date, and while I'm working out the interview schedule with the tour manager, I see Jimmy staring thoughtfully at the merchandise table.

We start with some small talk before turning on the recorder and discover his Sicilian roots, only to understand later in the interview what had been going through his head as he rifled through the CDs on the table.

We'll find out how a leaf on a concert poster in Iceland can become a symbol that lasts a lifetime, how to get over a four-year writer's block, how to get into a show for free thanks to a tattoo, and how to dive into the void without fear.

Your artistic path is quite peculiar, having moved through hardcore, post-rock and electronic music: can you find a common thread running through your various experiences, first with Locust, then with Tristeza, and finally with your project The Album Leaf?

There's always a logic to making music. Of the three, Locust is obviously a completely different band. When I was in Locust I was 16, really young, but by the time I was 19 I'd already lost interest in that genre.

What all these experiences have in common is that they represent me in the act of making music, whatever the genre.

Your first record as The Album Leaf, "An Orchestrated Rise To Fall", marked a sharp break from what you'd done before. Was it a sudden genesis, or the result of working through entirely different modes of expression?

The first record was an accident!

An accident!?

A friend of mine made some recordings while I was playing piano. I was improvising, playing just for the sake of playing, and he recorded everything... so it was kind of an accident! We made a handful of recordings, and that's why it has that experimental sound - it was made without concentration, without structure. "An Orchestrated Rise To Fall" was experimental, while the latest record represents a progression over a twelve-year span - the sound is cleaner, more structured, I thought the songs through carefully.

Honestly, I haven't listened to the first record in a long time!

Really?

Maybe one or two songs, just to hear it.

How does that make you feel?

It's nice, I like it, there's a good feeling to it, it's all a bit experimental.

I'd like to make another record like that one, improvised, recording something that happened almost by accident, creating songs that way…

Spontaneously.

Yes, exactly.

How did you come into contact with the artists who collaborated on “In A Safe Place“?

Sigur Rós?

Yes, Sigur Rós.

In 2001, after the release of my second record, “One Day I’ll Be On Time”, Sigur Rós asked me to join them on tour, and that's when we became friends, a friendship that grew closer during the 2003 European tour. At the time I was opening the shows solo, and it was during that tour that Sigur Rós started coming up on stage during my set, to play drums and guitar. It was the first time I'd heard my music presented that way, and played like that it started to make more sense to me.

They also played with me during the US tour, and that's when they invited me to record at their studio. During the sessions they'd often stop by to listen to the tracks and add something to them — it was mostly a matter of working among friends, we had fun playing together.

The presence of Jónsi Birgisson on that album has led to countless comparisons between your records and Sigur Rós'. How do you feel about this recurring reference? And more generally, what do you think of the Icelandic band?

Sure, the song Jónsi sings on does sound like Sigur Rós, because his voice is so distinctive, and yet the song was written and recorded by me. I think Jónsi's voice is so characteristic that it would make anything he sings on sound like Sigur Rós, in a way.

Beyond that, I don't see any real comparison or similarity — two different ways of playing, two different bands. Maybe people draw the comparison to explain something else, like "have you heard these guys, they sound like Sigur Rós"!

It's not a bad thing, it's nice to be compared to them, but beyond that I don't see any similarities.

Iceland was certainly a place of artistic exchange and inspiration for you, but even after "In A Safe Place" you kept a strong connection to that country in terms of sounds and collaborations: can you describe your relationship with Iceland? Could it be defined as one of your "soul places"?

It is. I haven't only been there for work, so I have different states of mind when I'm there – it's really a place full of peace, relaxing, definitely special to me.

What's it like going from San Diego to Reykjavik?

Very different! Going from 75°F in San Diego, which is about 25°C, to -15°C in Iceland was... crazy! But at the same time, since I travel a lot, I'm used to it.

Iceland is different though, I have a lot of friends there so it's really easy to feel at home, to feel good, to work.

What's your ideal condition for composing? Do you let yourself be guided by momentary emotions, or do your songs come about in a more technical, deliberate way?

In the most natural way possible, I guess — I don't want to sit there all alone thinking... while I'm doing something else, I wait for something to come to mind. Maybe I'm sitting watching TV or playing with the dog and an idea comes to me, I go to the studio and work on it. I try to do everything in the most natural way, without expectations, I throw something down hoping to end up with something good!

You go with the flow.

Exactly!

When you write songs, do you ever think about a specific way the listener will experience them?

I think about it while awake...

Well, sure...

Okay, (laughs, ed.) I'd better explain myself because that sounds odd!

Awake and with headphones on, definitely comfortable, or maybe in bed, relaxing. That's why I said awake — usually with headphones on people fall asleep!

Or even while driving, while traveling.

Just a few words about your titles and songs: sun, wind, mountain, stream, fog, summer, twilight and others.

Nature is a constant in your music, isn't it?

Yes, nature is always a source of inspiration - mountains, images of forests, deserts, everything that's natural - and nature has always inspired me more than anything else. When I travel I'm more interested in landscapes than in exploring cities. Yes, nature and landscapes are a source of inspiration, definitely.

Your latest record, "A Chorus Of Storytellers", followed four years during which I've read you went through a real "writer's block". If that's true, what do you think caused it and how did you manage to overcome it? And does this genesis make it a musically different record compared to your previous ones?

I wanted to make a different record and I thought about it for a long time. I did a lot of things, changing everything with this record in mind, I played a lot, making recordings just for myself.

I had it in mind to do something different, but I couldn't quite figure out how to pull it off... so, to get past the writer's block, I papered a wall with all the songs, I brought together the people who'd played with me over these seven years to have them play on the record and write. Then we started rehearsing and everything started coming to life, becoming clearer, taking a direction and starting to make more sense.

During that same period I listened to a lot of music and bands, I was interested in and inspired by different things, and obviously I'm older now - over these four years I've grown.

Did you play with anyone else during these 4 years?

Yes, with Magnetic Morning, with Sam Fogarino who plays in Interpol, and Adam Franklin of Swervedriver, a 90s shoegaze band. It was great doing that kind of thing.

I also did a lot of remixes for other bands, learning new tricks, various odd little tasks that brought me closer to different ideas and approaches to music. Four years is a long time, for sure, and it's crazy because some songs already feel dated to me!

The very title of the record, and the fact that it includes a number of proper "songs", suggests you had something to tell. Are you somehow becoming a singer-songwriter?

I sing to challenge myself, I'm interested in changing things up by doing different stuff. Sometimes people don't like it, there are die-hard fans or people who've been following me for a long time who tell me "we don't like it when you sing"... but that's fine.

We like it.

I like it too! And I have fun with it, for me it's a new way of thinking about music, because I'd never thought about songs from the point of view of words, trying to tell a story by describing a scene or a situation... and now I love it!

Singer-songwriter... I mean, I've always thought of myself as a music writer, but not a lyricist. When I write I still need someone to help me find the right word, I'm still too critical of myself in that regard.

I come up with an idea and they change it to arrive at a better choice of words or something more abstract, it's not a straightforward process.

The title of your first album was "An Orchestrated Rise To Fall", on the new record there's a track called "Falling From The Sun" in which you repeatedly sing "find our way to fall", and throughout your music there's something of a sense of abandonment, of falling. Is that just a coincidence, or are these images you recognize yourself in? And if so, have you found your own "way to fall"?

I never thought about it before… actually, even in the song "Always For You" there's a line that says "through the clouds I fall".

What do you mean when you talk about falling.

I don't know, I have a real obsession with flying and with jumping down! In places where everyone else suffers from vertigo, or in very high places, my instinct is to jump down every time!

I went skydiving and it was amazing, I have this fixation with falling, maybe that's it.

So it doesn't scare you, it has a positive connotation

I think so… definitely, as you pointed out, I'm obsessed with it.

I mean, I don't know if I've found my "way of falling", but it's always a temptation for me. Coming to Italy, we stopped on the southern coast of France, at a spot with huge cliffs, and I… wanted to dive off!

In any case it doesn't have a negative sense of surrender, of giving up, it's positive for you, do you basically mean it as a kind of letting go?

Yes, I'd say so, it definitely has to do with surrender and letting go, and some other hidden meanings in things, but as far as falling itself goes, for me it's a genuine obsession.

Live you now play with an actual band, which you also wanted in the studio for the making of "A Chorus Of Storytellers", so The Album Leaf can no longer be defined as a "bedroom" project. Has something changed in the way you relate to other musicians live? Do you feel you've gained something from it?

 I really like "A Chorus Of Storytellers". Strange to say, but honestly, this record is my favorite.

I made all my records on my own, everything was written by me and still is, but this time… There's a lot of pressure when you write, play and do everything by yourself, and having to keep everything under control doesn't exactly thrill me, so I liked the idea of recording with other people and listening to their ideas.

This is the first time on an album that I only play keyboards, and I like it, it was great. We're friends, we have fun when we're on tour, and all of that translated into a real chemistry in the studio. While we were recording we laughed a lot, it was really fun, a truly great experience.

I'm very happy with the result, for sure. I'm really satisfied with this record.

Your intense live activity has taken you to play in various parts of the world, and I understand you've played some shows in Southeast Asia in particular: did you notice a different perception from the audience from one place to another? And in particular, how did the Asian audience respond to music that instead evokes completely different geographic and climatic settings?

Actually, Asia is where we're strongest — I have no idea why, but there's always a huge crowd at our shows. I'm not complaining about it, I just don't understand why we're so popular there… (a plane goes by and drowns out our voices, ed.)

Taking off, we're really close to Linate airport…

My God, it's like being on the runway! Sorry, what was the question?

The way your music is received in Southeast Asia… could it be different listening to your music, I don't know, under a tropical palm tree?

I have no idea why our music is so popular there, more than elsewhere. They place a lot of importance on nature — think of how carefully they tend gardens in Japan, and greenery in general. Love of nature is part of their culture, and since our music is very tied to nature, I don't know, the two things might be connected.

Various labels have been used for your music, including "indietronica". How would you define it today? And which artists do you feel closest to stylistically?

Defining my sound… you know, I always struggle to define my music. People say electronic, ambient, atmospheric, melodic, mellow. Some say post-rock, but I completely disagree with that… indietronic? Is that the word?

Indietronic.

That one makes more sense, because my music is definitely indie and definitely electronic. It's really hard for me to put a label on what I do — I think about it to the extent that I can't think of other groups with a similar sound, so I really have no idea.

Are there any groups you feel close to, stylistically?

I've always kept an eye on Air, comparing myself to their method, the aesthetic of the album — their approach is definitely the closest to mine. Maybe also Múm, but Air is certainly a band I keep an eye on often. And Notwist.

For much of your career you've been something of an outsider, one who's probably received less recognition than they deserved — and especially with The Album Leaf, maybe if you'd been born in Berlin instead of San Diego and had recorded for Morr Music, you'd be held in much higher regard.

It's strange that you'd say that.

What?

It's strange that you'd ask me exactly that… I was just looking at the merch table earlier — that's the difference between being with City Slang and being with Morr.

Sure, I think about it, "what if I'd been born in New York or Berlin".

But at the same time I think it's fine as it is; we don't play a genre that's had big peaks or big drops, and if I'd been in another city maybe everything would have happened faster, but it would probably already be over by now.

Everything's running its course for a reason - we did a tour in the States and sold thousands of records, something positive is happening, maybe even within the world of downloading. As for how things unfold, everything's changing for the better, I've got nothing to complain about, even if I often find myself wondering how things would have gone if I'd been somewhere else.

La Morr is still my favorite though, it's fantastic.

You never know.

Maybe in the next life.

We don't have the tattoo, can we get into the show for free? (pointing to the same tattoo Jimmy has on his forearm, also the band's logo - having it gets you free entry to their shows, ed.)

Of course!

Can you tell me the story behind this tattoo?

It goes back to my Icelandic experience, to the first show I ever played there. An Icelandic friend of mine took care of the artwork, he made a poster for the show and there was this leaf on it. That show marked a beginning, I loved the leaf and decided to keep it as a logo.

It means something to me - when I'm 80 or 90 and I look at it (he unbuttons his cuff and rolls up his shirt sleeve, shows me the tattoo and taps it with his hand, ed.) I'll be able to say: "you know, I toured the world, playing my music"!

It's kind of a reminder to myself of how great it's been and how lucky I've been to have the life I've managed to have - I've been touring the world for 15 years, it's insane, I'll think about it, I've made a living out of this, so many people appreciate and love the music I make. When I think about it, I still tell myself it's all crazy and beautiful.

So, you're still having fun.

Even after 15 years of playing and touring... yes, I'm still having a blast!

Ride the wave of great music

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