The first time I saw the Album Leaf perform I almost passed out and vomited. While I prefer to blame this incident on the heat inside the crowded San Diego club in late August rather than the performance itself, Jimmy LaValle definitely brings a deep vibe zone that is hard to resist. In other words: GET IN.

For In a Safe Place, San Diego-based LaValle journeyed to Iceland's Mosfellsbaer studio to record with members of Sigur Ros, Mum, and former bandmates from the Black Heart Procession. From the peaceful vocals of "Over the Pond", to the glitchy "Outer Banks", LaValle has mastered the middle ground of his extraordinary creative talent. In a Safe Place finds a balancing point between the poppy, synth-driven Tristeza (another of LaValle's former projects) and earlier, droneier Album Leaf compositions. No less delicate than An Orchestrated Rise to Fall (Linkwork), In a Safe Place is somewhat of an opus, combining LaValle's musical biography with his current influences and creating a masterpiece.

Chilling, yet soothing, and mystical to the extreme, as with Black Heart Procession albums I fear what dreams can be induced by listening to In a Safe Place, though I trust that, like LaValle's personal Iceland, I will find comfort and new beautiful experiences through listening to this album on a deeper level.

-Sarah Stedman