I interviewed Jimmy Lavalle in July 2011, and slightly re-edited the show after it aired. I’m glad to say it’s now on the archive. This one took us a long time to schedule, and Jimmy’s a really deep, creative guy. It was a pleasure to go in depth into the life behind the beautiful soundscapes he creates.
Jimmy Lavalle on Jekyll and Hyde
Jimmy Lavalle (The Album Leaf) on Jekyll and Hyde
Jimmy Lavalle intro
1. The Album Leaf – Brennivin
Hebrew Intro
2. The Album Leaf – Within Dreams
Jimmy on the change in working on A Chorus of Storytellers
3. The Album Leaf – We Are
Jimmy on Storytellers as a collaborative effort
4. The Album Leaf – There is a Wind
Jimmy on the 1927 Sunrise Soundtrack and its connection to Storytellers
5. The Album Leaf – Twenty Two Fourteen
Jimmy Lavalle on the possibility of working on future film-music + live show visuals
6. The Album Leaf – Blank Pages
Jimmy on the shift from his early hardcore days to the mellow Album Leaf
7. Drive Like Jehu – Golden Brown
8. Swing Kids – Blue Note
Jimmy on the Swing Kids/Blue Note reunion and new material
9. Swing Kids – Forty Three Seconds
Jimmy on early music-writing
10. The Album Leaf – Wander
Jimmy on different sidejobs and scams in his past (including telemarketing position with Bobby Bray)
11. The Album Leaf – Thule
Where does Jimmy LaValle see himself in 20 years?
12. The Album Leaf – Always For You
Jimmy LaValle on listening to other artists (Tune Yards?) and collaborating on music
13. The Album Leaf – Streamside
Jimmy LaValle on appearing on Portishead-curated All Tomorrow’s Parties festival
14. Portishead – Wandering Star
Jimmy on the key factors for his success
15. The Album Leaf – Almost There
Jimmy LaValle on the future of Album Leaf, emailing tracks back and forth to the bandmates + the breaking up of his previous band
16. The Album Leaf – One Minute
Goodbyes
17. The Album Leaf – Tied Knots
After 4 years of airing the show on Monday from 22:00 to 00:00, we’re more than happy to report that our show has now moved to Saturday night from 22:00 to 00:00
It is simply a glorious coincidence that we begin airing at this new time slot with the second part of our heroes, Gas Huffer! (So to all their loyal fans, the second part will be added to the archive once the show airs)
More news:
*A new J&H show theme is in the works as well (by snaganubbin, of course)
*Next week on J&H: The Album Leaf special with none other than Jimmy LaValle himself, who’s currently letting his HYDE side out while touring Europe with Blue Note (AKA Swing Kids)
* I’ll be joining a space-drone jam session by a supergroup of Israeli music masters next week, led by Ido Shaham. This will no doubt be an interesting experience, and hopefully the session could be uploaded the week thereafter
Since we’re on a roll of wonderful interviews there wasn’t much time to promote inventive and beautiful new music on Jekyll and Hyde lately.
To give you a taste of the upcoming gems you’ll hear on our upcoming shows, I’m posting some of the best new tracks around. Enjoy
Alain Johannes – Return to You
Hardly a “new” track, this was released in late 2010 on Johannes’s debut album. If you listened to our Johannes interview a couple of months ago, you know we talked about the song’s amazing single-potential. Now that the album was released on vinyl just a few days ago, Domino are also releasing this track as single.
The Dillinger Escape Plan – Chuck McChip
If you have the vinyl version of Option Paralysis, this is not news to you. This atmospheric instrumental track closes that album, but was just recently available to the vinyl-deficient public. Beautiful.
Elysian Fields – Sleepover
Jekyll and Hyde favorite Elysian Fields put out another masterpiece. Hope this one’s coming out on vinyl as well.
Willie Nelson and Wynton Marsalis – Unchain My Heart
There’s something magical about combining the forces of jazz and country music. A risky mix, but their collaborative album proves it can be masterfully done.
Veronica Maggio – Inga Klder
This beautiful album (Satan I Gatan) found its way to me in a mysterious unknown way. My friend Martin Centerman informed me that her track “Jag Kommer” is at the top of the charts in Sweden at the moment, but I truly believe “Inga Klder” is the album’s best pick.
New York Dolls – You Don’t Have To Cry
It’s not THE New York Dolls, having 2 of the original members and being over 60 years old. But had they played/written proto-punk songs like the earlier albums, I doubt it would satisfy anyone. Instead, Johansen and Sylvain added Frank Infante of Blondie to help do this album and created something quite special. I do love the edge that the Dolls had, but coming to terms with age/attitude, the new album’s folkish sound keeps finding its way back to my playlist.
MEN – Boom Boom Boom
There are many of us who’ve been waiting for years for JD Samson’s project to be heard. Samson started this when the legendary Le Tigre went on hiatus in 2005ish, and if this track doesn’t make you at least tap your foot, there must be something wrong with you.
Beth Ditto – I Wrote the Book
Beth Ditto without The Gossip. Better? No, but just as great.
Retox – Boredom is Counter-Revolutionary
This will only be released in August, but I was fortunate enough to listen to the mixes at hand already. I thought the EP was explosive, but the LP is the real proof to why Pearson and co. are hardcore Gods.
Liturgy – Returner
We received info of this crazy band from one of the hippest labels around – Thrill Jockey. I’ve heard quite a few descriptions of this band and they’re getting quite the buzz. To me it’s quite an eclectic blend of black metal and psychedelia, and the rest of the album is worth the purchase.
Battles – Futura
Like many, I was worried about what might become of Battles once it was known that Tyondai Braxton left the band. The long wait for Mirrored’s (2007) follow-up was worth it. I wonder if he has any regrets
Rasputina – On My Knees
The 11 minute track accompanied a 13-minute movie, starring Melora Creager in 2003. It only came out recently on a Rasputina collection Great American Gingerbread. Usually a collection is just an excuse to release tracks that weren’t good enough to be on an album, but ‘Gingerbread is another gem in the Rasputina arsenal.
Joe Lally – What Makes You
Fugazi’s Joe Lally. Need I say more?
Micachu and The Shapes and the London Sinfonietta – Unlucky
To describe something as “Strange” is a compliment in my eyes when it comes to music. That’s how I’d describe Micachu’s debut effort. But the new collaboration with the London Sinfonietta is twice as strange, and 5x as inventive.
On a personal note, you may have noticed my post about Gas Huffer a month ago, and how I’d tried to contact the band in the past 4 years for an interview. I’m ecstatic to inform you that my attempts were fruitful and within a month or so a GAS HUFFER special will air with the great members interviewed by yours truly and Oded Fluss.
More glorious interviewees coming soon: Zola Jesus and Jimmy LaValle (Album Leaf)
Those of you who listen to the J&H show regularly know we’re quite the Justin Pearson fanboys. The 2 extensive interviews we’ve done with him (the first, the second)are proof enough that in our opinion, most of what Pearson does turns to gold.
But before The Locust, Some Girls, All Leather and Retox – the source of the Pearson sonic sound lies in Swing Kids.
Swing Kids, according to Pearson, never really reached much fame when it was still around in the 90’s. I found out about them only after I heard The Locust and Some Girls, I believe. The first song I heard was the cover to Joy Division’s Warsaw and surprisingly, it completely surpasses the original, giving it a fresh take.
Swing Kids only got around to record 9 songs on EPs singles and compilations. All of these were collected into 1 released entitled “discography” after guitarist Eric’s untimely passing.
When we DJ, I believe at least one SK song is a cornerstone of our session. It was saddening to think that a band with such great energies and ideas was only appreciated by masses a decade after it has disbanded.
Luckily, the remaining members of the group (Jose Palafox, John Brady, Jimmy LaValle and Justin Pearson) regrouped a couple of years back for a charity event. I guess that time together sparked something in them, because they not only recorded a new 7″ together, but are soon to be touring Europe. Pearson explains that this new group is called Blue Note and not Swing Kids, “as Swing Kids passed away with Eric Allen”.
So, if you reside in one of the lucky areas in which Swing Kids/Blue Note will play, make sure to go see them and tell us all about it.
I contacted several venues in Israel and tried to convince them to bring Blue Note to Israel. unfortunately all attempts were unfruitful.
On a different note, make sure you listen to tonight’s show with Israeli metal giants Eternal Gray in the studio.
Gil, Dory and Auria will discuss their upcoming new album and record deal with Oded and myself and will play some of their mad tracks.
If you want to win a ticket to their Thursday show at the Sublime (with M.I.A.), email Eternal.Gray@gmail.com and answer this question:
When was “war of chaos” written? (answer during the show)
Hippo Campus 