Loose Leaves
Austin, Texas, United States
Music
Press
What can you expect? Earnest, mid-tempo, guitar-based, country-tinged, songs that feel comfortable like an old sweatshirt. They begin with an ambient noise that leads into a well-sequenced series of songs that at times rock, at times soothe, and always feel like they came from the same slightly melancholic place.
- Justin Payne
"...stunning tracks. “Long Shot” stands out immediately, as the same atmospheric guitar work of “Perfect Disguise” is paired with a more subtle crescendo throughout. The result is a model of how the better half of the album works, by arriving at its point subtly and intricately, making use of contrasting textures developed with simple, if creative instrumentation. “Grave” exhibits similar qualities, with the added bonus of some of the better lyrics on the album, such as the image “broken light in the morning rain.” Closer “Round & Round” bookends the album with much of the same slow-developing hues as “Gunpoint,” and if nothing else leaves you with a similar, warm feeling by way of parting.
"...the songs that work – which is to say, take full advantage of the obviously talented musicians in the quintet with subtle arrangements – work very well, and even seem much more natural for the group. For Loose Leaves to properly cultivate what seems to be natural potential may be the ultimate key to crafting an album in whole as strong as this one’s parts."
- Austin Sound (John Michale Cassetta)
"...the album caters to everything an alt-country enthusiast (me) wants to see in an album. Songs like Long Shot tend a little more towards rock music, with their electric guitar solos and what-have-you, but with a subtle, true to the genre, motif."
"...In the end, this album both fuels my insatiable desire for new alt-country music, and stirs up some of those negative emotions I was talking about. If Loose Leaves can capitalize on the good section, well, I’m sure I’ll be back ranting on and on about the next big Austin alt-country album. - Side One Track One
Discography
Loose Leaves - Self titled debut album now available 2009 (ASCAP)
Taylor Vieger, Whiplash Ballroom LP (2008)
Photos
Bio
“This is all I can do.” So confesses Jason Lewis from beneath a drone of cello and synthesizer on the Loose Leaves original, “Round and Round.” All Lewis can do, it seems, is create Siren-like songs of surprising depth and beauty - songs that draw you in with a seductive straightforwardness and then, once exposed, break your bones and your heart with a quick but quiet violence.
With a voice haunted by the ghosts of those gone before, Lewis possesses that rare gift: the ability to create memorable, original melodies as comfortable and familiar as the standards of days gone by. As much McCartney as Cash, the singer/songwriter and catalyst behind the band would appear to feel most at home when buried in a studio swirl of self-induced harmony, as evidenced by 2009’s eponymous self-titled debut. Recorded at Ramble Creek Recording Studios in the hills of southwest Austin, Texas, and engineered by local-scene mainstay, Britton Beisenherz, Loose Leaves is a stunning first effort.
But make no mistake, Lewis shines brightest in a live setting, where the purity and perfection of his voice is strong enough to rise up over the din of beer bottles and drunken dialogue to give pause to even the most casual listener. And once engaged, the listener is suddenly transported to a simpler - though often sadder - time, carried there and back again on a vocal melody that floats in and out of hushed pedal steel, hammered keys, and the twang of single-coil pickups, propelled unwittingly forward by a steady rhythm section of warmth.
Timeless themes of love and loss and confusion inhabit Lewis’ songs, but seem especially poignant and earnest and heartfelt in their delivery. Ever-present is the nostalgia of experience, or the want of it. Loose Leaves makes music to which all can relate, and accordingly, such accessibility demands a certain level of simplicity. To describe Loose Leaves’s music as simple, however, is somewhat misleading.
Rather, there is a subtle but very real art at work here. Surrounded by an ensemble of some of Austin’s finest hook-writing hipsters - including Jason Garcia and Christopher Peters from Austin staple, Household Names, and multi-instrumentalist and pop virtuoso, Ryan Young - the net result is so complete that it’s often hard to believe these songs haven’t been around for years. The effort and diligence that goes into making music this beautiful is craftsmanship at its finest.
Someone once said that if you put a good singer singing a good song in front of a good microphone, then the results are priceless. Take a listen, and I think you’ll agree. So come on in. The water is fine. And so is the wine. Here’s to Loose Leaves.
--Sean M. Connaughty
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