Tristeza

Tristeza is rock'n'roll, but without the vocals. The Album Leaf are the sounds you hear every day you stay inside to avoid the rain. The link between the two bands is Jimmy Lavalle, guitarist for Tristeza and mastermind behind the Album Leaf. These two projects are instrumental but also very different from each other. Tristeza makes timeless melodies by concentrating on making sure their instruments are all in sync. Dream Signals In Full Circles contains epic pop gems that give atmosphere to whatever room it's played in. The melodies are all quiet, relaxed, in tune and very much in harmony. While contemporaries Tortoise focus more on jazz and warping their arrangements, and Mogwai master the sound of Black Sabbath, Slint and Labradford all falling down together, Tristeza specialises in carrying the tuneful note of rock music. The Album Leaf is a less rock-oriented affair, focused more on the music one can create through home taping. In An Off White Room feels like you are reminiscing about dreams from the night before. While this EP only contains four songs, it is the nature-filled, 29-minute closing opus, "Off White Room," that makes this feel more like an LP. The song begins with birds chirping and gradually a soft and beautiful guitar takes the reigns and the song blooms into one of the loveliest songs to be heard this year, indoors or out, at least until it hits 23:25, when it turns into a cover of Kraftwerk's "Computer Love.