The Album Leaf is the one-man solo project of
Tristeza guitarist
Jimmy LaValle. By taking elements of classical, jazz, and post-rock,
LaValle constructs his pieces utilizing ambient noise, field recordings, and radio transmissions. A collaboration between Linkwork and Music Fellowship sparked
the Album Leaf's first full-length,
An Orchestrated Rise to Fall, in 1999. An EP (
In an Off White Room) preceded the release of
LaValle's second album,
One Day I'll Be on Time, on Tiger Style in March 2001.
The Album Leaf opened for
Sigur Rós' first tour of the U.S. later that fall. By the time he began recording his third album, he'd secured the services of
Sigur Rós' Iceland studios, along with several of its bandmembers. The results,
In a Safe Place, appeared on Sub Pop in June 2004. The EP
Seal Beach, originally issued in 2003 in Spain, appeared stateside in early 2005, and
LaValle's next album,
Into the Blue Again, followed in September 2006. ~ Mike DaRonco, All Music Guide