The Leaf Library is one of my favourite new bands, and I can’t get enough of their music these days. Their guitarist and founder, Matt Ashton, used to play in another favourite of mine, Saloon. Even today, I get goosebumps when I hear the songs from Saloon’s brilliant “(this is) what we call progress” or “if we met the future”, – really good songs. Saloon has also given life to two other very good bands: Adam “Arthur” Cresswell started the electro-pop duo Arthur and Martha, and Alison Cotton is a part of the lovely folk-pop band The Left Outsides
The Leaf Library’s sound is not too far away from the old Saloon-sound, in my opinion, and sometimes not far from Stereolab, a band they mention themselves in their own definition of their sound: “The band create minimal, melodic songs with a sound that sits comfortably between Stereolab’s two chord drone rock and the stripped-down groove of late 70s Fleetwood Mac.”
So far, the only official release from The Leaf Library is a vinyl only 10″ single, with the track “Losing Places” on side A and a brilliant remix by Isan on side B. The full album is finished and they’re just waiting for the label to find a release-date for it. I’ve heard it, and it’s so so so good!
The Leaf Library has a wonderful page on Soundcloud where you can listen to the album (embedded below here) and they have also made a beautiful tribute to the late Mark Linkous of Sparklehorse, and covered their song “Hundreds of Sparrows” (also embedded below).
THE LEAF LIBRARY – HUNDREDS OF SPARROWS (Sparklehorse cover) (click the down-arrow to download)
Hundreds Of Sparrows by The Leaf Library
THE LEAF LIBRARY – Different Activities, Similar Diversions (album)
