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.