With the Album Leaf, Jimmy LaValle has become one of the leading forces in ambient indie rock. If avoiding the potential pitfalls of LaValle's chosen subgenre seem difficult -- where tranquility flirts with blandness -- Seal Beach finds the Album Leaf priding itself on melody and structure. Sadly beautiful glitch-hop may be the best way to describe "Malmo," which thrives thanks to lilting elements, but the warm piano tone and percussion boost of "Brennivin" and the soft, synth-carved touches of the title track stand out. ...
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With the Album Leaf, Jimmy LaValle has become one of the leading forces in ambient indie rock. If avoiding the potential pitfalls of LaValle's chosen subgenre seem difficult -- where tranquility flirts with blandness -- Seal Beach finds the Album Leaf priding itself on melody and structure. Sadly beautiful glitch-hop may be the best way to describe "Malmo," which thrives thanks to lilting elements, but the warm piano tone and percussion boost of "Brennivin" and the soft, synth-carved touches of the title track stand out. Simply crafted and routinely soothing in nature, Seal Beach glimmers with the hypnotic and engaging wares of LaValle. ~ John D. Luerssen, Rovi
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