San Diego's The Album Leaf, a.k.a. Jimmy Lavelle, will release his fourth album and second for Sub Pop, "Into the Blue Again" on Sept. 12. Work on the project becan in December at Seattle's Bear Creek Studios.
"Bear Creek was awesome," Lavelle tells Billboard.com. "It was very mountain-y and woody; I slept at the studio [and] stayed up all night playing pool after a day of recording. I'd wake up at my earliest convienence, which was usually around 1 or 2, and would track until around midnight. It felt very comfortable, much like home."
Many listeners became familiar with Lavelle's work in 2005, when music from his 2004 album "In a Safe Place" was featured predominately on Fox's teen drama "The OC." That album was recorded at Sigur Ros' studio in Iceland, and Lavelle returned there to mix "Into the Blue Again."
"Birgir Jon Birgisson is a great producer to work with. His studio is great. Also, it's Iceland. It's just a nice, relaxing situation to be in over there," Lavelle says.
Over the years, Lavelle has steadily added more strings and orchestration to his atmospheric electronica, as well as his own singing. For this album, Lavelle says that he "felt more comfortable" with the sound of his voice, but it's still a "nerve-wracking experience."
"On the recording side, [singing is] going much better. But live, I'm still trying to find my way and learn how to not drive my sound guy nuts" he says. "But I think this record is more hopeful. The last one was maybe for someone who was down and out. I've been told this one is more upbeat," he adds with a laugh.
Lavelle road tested new material during a short California tour last month and is planning to return to the road in November. "I had posted a few [songs] on Myspace so people could get familiar with a few of the new ones, and they definitely went over well," he says.
"Bear Creek was awesome," Lavelle tells Billboard.com. "It was very mountain-y and woody; I slept at the studio [and] stayed up all night playing pool after a day of recording. I'd wake up at my earliest convienence, which was usually around 1 or 2, and would track until around midnight. It felt very comfortable, much like home."
Many listeners became familiar with Lavelle's work in 2005, when music from his 2004 album "In a Safe Place" was featured predominately on Fox's teen drama "The OC." That album was recorded at Sigur Ros' studio in Iceland, and Lavelle returned there to mix "Into the Blue Again."
"Birgir Jon Birgisson is a great producer to work with. His studio is great. Also, it's Iceland. It's just a nice, relaxing situation to be in over there," Lavelle says.
Over the years, Lavelle has steadily added more strings and orchestration to his atmospheric electronica, as well as his own singing. For this album, Lavelle says that he "felt more comfortable" with the sound of his voice, but it's still a "nerve-wracking experience."
"On the recording side, [singing is] going much better. But live, I'm still trying to find my way and learn how to not drive my sound guy nuts" he says. "But I think this record is more hopeful. The last one was maybe for someone who was down and out. I've been told this one is more upbeat," he adds with a laugh.
Lavelle road tested new material during a short California tour last month and is planning to return to the road in November. "I had posted a few [songs] on Myspace so people could get familiar with a few of the new ones, and they definitely went over well," he says.
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