It is this choice of path that has created a clear divide between critics. Some are full of praise for the calm beauty that is laced throughout his work, and others have been harshly critical for the same reason, citing repetition in his signature melodious sound that they claim is rehashed and repackaged for each successive record he releases.
Although his solo work somewhat betrays his roots in Tristeza, he also displays a penchant for a more brooding, atmosphere, strengthened by his musical prowess on many instruments, including drums, bass, keyboards, guitar, and of course, his vocal ability. His 2004 album, In a Safe Place, a title that suggests peace and stability, was largely recorded with members of the Icelandic quartet Sigur Rós in their own Iceland studio, Álafoss. The result was a meditative, gentle and expressive album, as was his 2006 effort, Into the Blue Again. Both albums display LaValle’s modus operandi, although the latter was more of a leap towards a pop-sensible sound.

This year saw the release of his fifth album, A Chorus of Storytellers, continuing very much in the same vein as his earlier work. For the first time, LaValle used a live band to track the record, an approach that lends a more natural feel. The album itself is, in a word, grand. It kicks off with ‘Perro’ – a slow-building, sample heavy track that serves as an introduction, nothing more. It doesn’t lack substance, but in typical Album Leaf fashion is a good lead-in to the stronger tracks that lie beyond. One of these stronger pieces emerges in the form of ‘There Is a Wind’ – the first track that appears that opens with signature Rhodes piano, but blooms rather wonderfully into the full band at work. This is where LaValle’s pop instinct kicks in with its hook-laden chorus ‘There’s a wind behind everyone/Takes us through our lives/I wish we could have stayed/But this wind takes us away,” and the dynamics of subtle, creative drumming and understated instrumentation keeps the track from possibly blowing into ostentatious territory.
Other standout tracks include the lovely ‘Within Dreams’, a song  with a slight fragility. It is a strangely organic affair, despite the spluttering electronic beats, and is somewhat reminiscent of Sigur Rós with an IDM backbone. The rich string section coursing throughout gives a nice melodic counterpart to the keyboard flourishes and sweeps. ‘Until The Last’ is another that employs the strings technique to some success, achieving an almost epic, deeply rich sound carried on the shoulders of the basic track itself.

It can be equally risky to be a jack-of-all-trades or a master of one, and The Album Leaf is in the latter camp. Yes, Jimmy LaValle may have a formula; he may not stray far from that formula, but what compounds he delivers make for extremely enjoyable listening.

My rating? 7 out of 10.

A Chorus of Storytellers is out now on Sub Pop Records.

Efterklang are one of the more interesting acts to have gained a foothold in today’s wide musical world. They do well to defy easy classification, and this remains one of the band’s strengths; genre-bending techniques and offbeat songwriting add to this ambiguity. Despite this, the most accurate possible label for their early work would be post-rock. Their debut album, Tripper, was bursting at the seams with stuttering electronic drum patterns, synth vibraphone and rich, dulcet string arrangements – all of this complemented by harmonious male/female vocals. It is an overpoweringly abounding sound that is almost too much. They drew back somewhat on their second effort, Parades, in which they retained some similar elements to their first. It is a wholly more rewarding and simple experience, though – playing with the idea of more acoustic arrangements. It is reminiscent of something you might hear as the soundtrack to a world of fairy-tales; innocent and pure, almost childlike.

Seemingly never comfortable in one sound, the band have changed tack again for their latest release, Magic Chairs.

They have left behind many of the hallmarks of their early work, and instead have developed a keen sense of negative space since their debut. Rather than an album packed full of textures, they never really give much away. Their new sound brings to mind what Califone might be if they were ever given a glossy, 4AD production and a more positive outlook. The lead track and first single, ‘Modern Drift’, is a cornucopia of soft, unbroken piano lines, clean guitars, strings and sparse, pounding drums – ‘I can keep my head inside/When the modern drift is all I have’, and the song could be considered as the group at the most pop-sounding they’ve ever been. However, although it is a lovely song, it doesn’t leave much of a mark. Ultimately, this is where the album itself falters. In its entirety, it is a very slow-moving, uni-textural work, and although some artists can pull this off very well, Efterklang are yet to reach that stage. There are moments when the album takes some interesting turns, however –  tracks such as ‘I Was Playing Drums’, where the overtly Califone-esque moments emerge, and ‘Raincoats’, which has something of a world music feel coursing through it: dry percussion, handclaps and African pipes. The quality of songwriting throughout is consistent, and there are no obviously weak moments to speak of, but when you’re expecting an album that should grip you from beginning to end, the experience is more like a soft hand on your shoulder, gentle and somewhat ineffectual.

Ultimately, Efterklang have matured their sound a great deal since their formative years, but although Magic Chairs is decent, it isn’t outstanding. But that, of course, is the nature of growth – given time, and the nurturing of their sound, they will be capable of great things.

My rating? 6 out of 10.

Magic Chairs is out now on 4AD Records.