CD reviews

A Chorus of Storytellers, the new album by The Album Leaf

The Album Leaf
A Chorus of Storytellers
(Sub Pop)
*7.7*
Goes well with: Sigur Rós, The Black Heart Procession, Brian Eno

There’s a vaguely discernible blueprint from which Jimmy LaValle builds the understated signature sound of The Album Leaf—he aims for a sophisticated, classically informed style of avant-post-rock. But however densely he packs them with electronic trickery, his records are also chock-full of acoustic strings, funky lo-fi drumming and oxygenated organ.

Ten years on, LaValle’s singular vision is once again obsessed with organic vs. synthetic tensions, as interpreted by a rotating cast of talented musicians (plus one who’s been on all five discs, The Black Heart Procession’s Pall Jenkins). The third effort for Sub Pop weaves a trancelike tapestry of moody, soft-machine imagery—the sort of thing The Postal Service might evoke at a séance led by Brian Eno. “Blank Pages” is glitchy blurps and sampled whistles over trip-hop balladry, while the hail of plinking keys and bombastic chords in “Until the Last” sound like Joe Jackson fronting Vangelis.

LaValle’s rapid fire, hyper-cinematic ideas drift beautifully by in oddly familiar ways as A Chorus of Storytellers unfurls. It’s not that he keeps repeating himself so much as he’s chanting sonic mantras—ones that continue to yield new and striking meditations to charm the rest of us.

—Will K. Shilling

Citay
Dream Get Together
(Dead Oceans)
*7.6*
Goes well with: Allman Brothers Band, Fleetwood Mac, Thin Lizzy

Imagine you’re a 16-year-old kid from the suburbs in the early ’80s. You have no idea what punk is; you recently discovered a way to smoke pot inside the house without getting caught and your ears are saturated with FM rock radio. You conjure up hypothetical collaborations between rock stars when you’re bored and often wonder what it would sound like if Keith Emerson played synth over Zeppelin’s “Going to California” until Glenn Tipton burst out of nowhere for some epic slow-motion shredding.

If that were the case, then this is your album.

Citay’s Tim Green is probably better known as part of Dischord outfit Nation of Ulysses, metal magicians The Fucking Champs and his career as a producer than he is for this group. But coupled with main songwriter Ezra Feinberg, the two display a deep love for the regenerative powers of ’70s rock staples.

Most of the songs are based around acoustic guitars, but, thankfully, they’re vigorous enough to keep Dream Get Together at arm’s length from hippie stink, even if some of the material here bears the distinct odor of drug-den indulgence (“Secret Breakfast”). The rest is all good vibes, with ultra-harmonic strumming worthy of Lindsey Buckingham, some ripping solos and a heady serenade from Merrill Garbus of tUnE-yArDs on “Mirror Kisses.”

Actually, it’s hard not to be reminded of Wooderson, Matthew McConaughey’s character in Dazed and Confused, by the time Dream Get Together is over: “Awright, awright, awright.”

—Todd Kroviak

Spoon
Transference
(Merge)
*9.3*
Goes well with: Guided By Voices, The Beatles, The Shins

Another year, another challenging album. Kudos to Spoon for loading their new disc with non-linear, experimental tracks that put the emphasis on the groove as opposed to the hook.

Right out of the gate, “Before Destruction” and “Is Love Forever?” are bound to leave listeners scratching their heads. Anyone expecting an album full of “The Underdog” copies will surely be put off. If this release resembles anything from Spoon’s last disc, it’s the dark masterpiece “The Ghost of You Lingers.” Similar to “Ghost,” most of the songs on Transference seem pieced together and on the brink of collapse but somehow remain coherent, catchy and downright rocking.

The bass is high in the mix on a number of these songs, especially the groovy “Who Makes Your Money?,” a track that crosses dub with Sonic Youth and yields fantastic results. “Mystery Zone,” which should have been the single off this disc, is another one for lovers of the low-end.

One of the tricks Spoon employs is mixing up the production values. Some tracks sound like demos, while others sport a slicker sheen. As a result, this feels like Spoon’s version of a Guided by Voices album. It’s all over the place—difficult yet completely brilliant. I don’t know how these guys keep topping themselves with each new release, but it’s a question I hope to keep asking myself for many years to come.

—Dryw Keltz