Inspired and introduced by magnificent movie “Youth”, the music of vivacious vocalist Mark Kozalek along with impressive instrumentalist Jimmy Lavalle came rushing to our attention, their collaborative “Ceiling Gazing” track opening the fabulous floodgate to a string of superb sounds, prompting this special music focus on the men & their music.
In times gone by we used to draw the majority of our musical influences from the dancefloor, the tracks & tunes that raised the roofs of the clubs we used to circulate the capital, driving our musical machinations and collections, yet while for a considerable amount of time, our genre was seemingly stuck in one gear, house (and slight variants of such), we have always enjoyed an eclectic taste, previously dipping into alternative, instrumental & electronica, while always showing a penchant for a bit of pop, dependant on the band or individual. However, of late we have also been drawing musical influences from the movies, the soundtracks in superb screenplays such as “The Martian”, “Sicario” & “Carol” truly captivating while one that has literally blown our mind as well as opening a whole new avenue of artist was “Youth”, the most moving of music leaving an indelible impression on our imagination, making us search in earnest for the individual behind that stunning centre piece soundtrack as Michael Caine & Harvey Keitel ogle over Miss World. And with terrific track “Ceiling Gazing” having pinpointed the protagonist of this mesmeric piece of music, it suddenly opened a floodgate to a whole string a stunning songs & sounds from both vivacious vocalist Mark Kozalek & impressive instrumentalist Jimmy Lavalle along with their pseudonym production & publication vehicles, leading to this special music focus celebrating a selection of their compositions.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7yYMfjVNJc[/youtube]
So to Mark Kozalek first, an American born singer, songwriter, guitarist record producer and occasional actor, one who made a cameo appearance in “Youth”, the film that brought him to our attention, while other notable acting attributes include “Vanilla Sky” and Steve Martin’s movie, “Shopgirl”, although it has to be said that his fortune if not so much fame, has come through the music industry. Ohio born, Kozalek would make a name for himself in San Francisco, initially with a band formed alongside a childhood friend, Anthony Koutsos, along with two other members, group “Red House Painers” releasing four albums to critical acclaim throughout the 1990’s. But in a trend that marks Kozalek’s musical career, break up’s & reunions has seen both solo & joint projects under the recording pseudonym, “Sun Kil Moon”, no less than six studio albums released in as many years, notable ones including “Perils From The Sea”, “Universal Themes” & the most rapturously received of all, “Benji”. However, with a total of twenty albums under his both solo & collaborative belt, Kozalek certainly cannot be called a slouch, the marvellous mix of folk, rock, electronica & instrumental genres of sound bridging & connecting gaps in our varying musical tastes magnificently, stand-out solo singles including the outstanding “Onward” which features in majestic movie “Youth” which, now n=knowing Kozalek’s involvement, is even more richer as a result.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXlKyNg6VIE [/youtube]
To Jimmy Lavalle now and not quite so much is known and documented about this impressive instrumentalist, although one fact that stands out over all the others and concurs with Mark Kozalek is this pseudonym pattern, although unlike Sun Kil Moon, Lavalle’s is a born purely out of solo intentions, “The Album Leaf” founded by Jimmy back in 1998 following a number of group appearances & involvements in the San Diego area. However, Lavalle’s passion for electronica and for particular Rhodes piano use saw him go solo, a succession of session recordings released, “An Orchestral Rise To Fall”, “One Day I’ll Be On Time”, “A Lifetime Or More”, “Into The Blue Again” and “A Chorus Of Storytellers” although while much of the content of these musical projects was driven by Lavalle himself, “The Album Leaf” is made up of three other members current and a further four past, this group having evolved over the twenty or so years it has been formed. But while we still believe the collaborative collective still exist, Jimmy Lavalle continues to pursue solo projects and has recently scripted a soundtrack for screenplay “Spring”, a film released at a similar time to “Youth” so once again mirroring Kozalek’s movements and thus indelibly linking the two, while Lavalle’s movie connections also extend to “Before You Know It” released in the same year and starring Jimmy, as well as previous pictures “Adrift” & “Torey’s Attraction” while it is the soundtrack from his latest venture that moves the most.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6rahu6t25s8[/youtube]
So to the Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle joint project now, “Perils From The Sea” a total triumph of a studio album that combines the brilliance of Mark’s moving baritone vocals and Jimmy’s immense instrumentals across eleven tracks, “Ceiling Gazing” of course featuring in film “Youth, this track itself unveiling some wonderful works across the whole album. Indeed, the origins of “Perils From The Sea”, which was eventually released in 2013, stretch back a further two years, 2011 seeing Kozalek approach Lavalle to work on just one track, “What Happened To My Brother” gelling these two talents together, the plan to release it as an EP under the joint pseudonyms “Sun Kil Moon” & “The Album Leaf” although such was the surprise at the magnitude of this track, the duo continued to collaborate, writing the further ten that make up this amazing album. With headline track “Gustavo” the most critically acclaimed, while “Ceiling Gazing” remains our favourite, the final two are very much knocking on its door, “Here Comes More Perils from the Sea” the most melodic of all for us, while “Somehow The Wonder Of Life Prevails” a dark & deep production of prolific proportions, the lyrics incredibly moving and akin to “Ceiling Gazing” in many ways and is an interesting yet noteworthy way to end the album.
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5DYXa5nk1o[/youtube]
Well, without doubt, thanks to “Youth” we have been introduced to two terrific talents whom we will now be both following and watching for new projects & productions that are sure to come, whether individually or jointly, both Mark Kozalek & Jimmy Lavalle proving that, in their hands, “Music Is The Answer”. (DISCO MATT)
