''Leaves Turn Inside You'' is the seventh and final

studio album An album is a collection of audio recordings issued on compact disc (CD), Phonograph record, vinyl, audio tape, or another medium such as Digital distribution#Music, digital distribution. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early ...

by the American

post-hardcore Post-hardcore is a punk rock music genre that maintains the aggression and intensity of hardcore punk but emphasizes a greater degree of creative expression. It was initially inspired by post-punk and noise rock. Like post-punk, the term has been ...

band

Unwound Unwound is an American post-hardcore band. The band was formed in 1988 in Tumwater, Washington, Tumwater and Olympia, Washington by vocalist/guitartist Justin Trosper, bassist Vern Rumsey and drummer Brandt Sandeno, and was largely based in Olym ...

, released on April 17, 2001 by

Kill Rock Stars Kill Rock Stars is an independent record label founded in 1991 by Slim Moon and Tinuviel Sampson, and based in both Olympia, Washington, and Portland, Oregon. The label has released a variety of work in different genres, but was originally known ...

. The album received critical acclaim from several music publications. Marking the return of original drummer and co-founder Brandt Sandeno who had switched to keyboards and guitar, it is the only studio album to feature all four members.

Recording and release

Unlike previous

albums, ''Leaves Turn Inside You'' was recorded in 2000 by the band members at their own built studio, MagRecOne ("Magnetic Recording One"), in

Olympia, Washington Olympia is the capital of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat and largest city of Thurston County. It is southwest of the state's most populous city, Seattle, and is a cultural center of the southern Puget Sound region. European ...

. As singer and guitarist

Justin Trosper Justin Trosper is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer, born in Olympia, Washington. He fronted the post-hardcore band Unwound from 1991 to 2002. He has also been a member of bands such as Replikants, The Young Ginns, and Worst ...

explains, "Every record, we tried to raise the bar to some degree by asking, 'What can we do to make this better?' Usually that was just increasing the amount of time we spent in the studio. So the idea with the last record is that we would build a studio to record ourselves and break out of the pattern we'd established with ongtime producer

Steve Fisk Steve Fisk is an American, Washington-based audio engineer, record producer and musician. As a musician, he has been in bands such as the instrumental alternative/indie rock band Pell Mell and the electronic band Pigeonhed. He has long been as ...

and we'd have as much time to do it as we wanted — for better or worse". All songs were written and recorded by Unwound, with the production being handled between the three band members. ''Leaves Turn Inside You'' was released as a double LP and double CD on April 17, 2001 by the

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels and artists are often represented ...

, which also released the band's previous five studio albums. The CD version is enhanced with two music videos: "Radio Gra" (by Slater Bradley) and "Scarlette" (by animator Zak Margolis). A promotional CD version on Matador Europe exists, which features the whole album on one CD, omitting the videos; it comes in a slimline jewelcase with a different cover art and a quote citing Unwound as the best live band of their era.

Music and lyrics

''Leaves Turn Inside You'' continues down the exploratory path of ''

Repetition Repetition may refer to: * Repetition (rhetorical device), repeating a word within a short space of words *Repetition (bodybuilding), a single cycle of lifting and lowering a weight in strength training *Working title for the 1985 slasher film '' ...

'' and ''

Challenge for a Civilized Society ''Challenge for a Civilized Society'' is the sixth studio album by the American post-hardcore band Unwound, released on January 13, 1998 by Kill Rock Stars. It was produced by Steve Fisk and recorded from August 1, 1997, to August 15, 1997, at Joh ...

'', using

Mellotron The Mellotron is an electro-mechanical musical instrument developed in Birmingham, England, in 1963. It is played by pressing its keys, each of which pushes a length of magnetic tape against a capstan, which pulls it across a playback head. A ...

and a more subdued instrumental attack. In fact, the discs are titled ''2'' and ''3'', implying that ''Challenge for a Civilized Society'' is the first one. The song "Below the Salt" features delicate piano, heavy usage of

reverb Reverberation (also known as reverb), in acoustics, is a persistence of sound, after a sound is produced. Reverberation is created when a sound or signal is reflected causing numerous reflections to build up and then decay as the sound is abso ...

, and intimate, near-whispered vocals, while "Scarlette" brings back the band's

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier punk ...

origins. "Terminus" features cryptic lyrics and apocalyptic chamber orchestration. Drummer Sara Lund and

Janet Weiss Janet Lee Weiss (born September 24, 1965) is an American rock drummer, best known as a former member of Sleater-Kinney and a current member of Quasi. She was the drummer for Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks, leaving after the album ''Mirror Traffic' ...

of sonic/geographic contemporaries

Sleater-Kinney Sleater-Kinney ( ) is an American rock band that formed in Olympia, Washington, in 1994. The band's current lineup features Corin Tucker (vocals and guitar) and Carrie Brownstein (guitar and vocals), following the departure of longtime member J ...

provide backing vocals on "Demons Sing Love Songs". ''Leaves'', according to ''Treble''s Jeff Terich, exchanges Unwound's former "noisy ndpulsing"

punk Punk or punks may refer to: Genres, subculture, and related aspects * Punk rock, a music genre originating in the 1970s associated with various subgenres * Punk subculture, a subculture associated with punk rock, or aspects of the subculture s ...

for "nuanced"

art punk Art punk is a subgenre of punk rock in which artists go beyond the genre's rudimentary garage rock and are considered more sophisticated than their peers. These groups still generated punk's aesthetic of being simple, offensive, and free-spirit ...

and

shoegaze Shoegaze (originally called shoegazing and sometimes conflated with "dream pop") is a subgenre of indie and alternative rock characterized by its ethereal mixture of obscured vocals, guitar distortion and effects, feedback, and overwhelming volu ...

songcraft. He would go on to hail it "an

avant-garde The avant-garde (; In 'advance guard' or ' vanguard', literally 'fore-guard') is a person or work that is experimental, radical, or unorthodox with respect to art, culture, or society.John Picchione, The New Avant-garde in Italy: Theoretical ...

masterpiece".

Sputnikmusic Sputnikmusic is an American music community website offering music criticism and music news alongside features commonly associated with wiki-style websites. The format of the website is unusual in that it includes both professional and amateur c ...

saw the group devote to "mellow" and "lyrically anxious"

indie rock Indie rock is a Music subgenre, subgenre of rock music that originated in the United States, United Kingdom and New Zealand from the 1970s to the 1980s. Originally used to describe independent record labels, the term became associated with the mu ...

for its majority. They also summarized it as a "melancholic" fusion of

dream pop Dream pop (also typeset as dreampop) is a subgenre of alternative rock and neo-psychedelia that emphasizes atmosphere and sonic texture as much as pop melody. Common characteristics include breathy vocals, dense productions, and effects such as ...

noise rock Noise rock (sometimes called noise punk) is a noise music, noise-oriented style of experimental rock that spun off from punk rock in the 1980s. Drawing on movements such as minimal music, minimalism, industrial music, and New York hardcore, a ...

, and

post-rock Post-rock is a form of experimental rock characterized by a focus on exploring textures and timbre over traditional rock song structures, chords, or riffs. Post-rock artists are often instrumental, typically combining rock instrumentation with ...

Critical reception

''Leaves Turn Inside You'' received high acclaim from several music critics.

AllMusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

reviewer Bryan Carroll described the album as "a unique, epic effort from one of the most inventive and dynamic rock bands in recent memory". Max Finneran, writing for ''

Spin Spin or spinning most often refers to: * Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning * Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis * Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...

'', commented: "Rounding off the edges of its tried and true punk-rock grind with the melodic and rhythmic tropes of '60s psychedelia, Unwound has perfectly re-imagined a sound that most art-students wouldn't even spit on the first time around". ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, fi ...

'' critic Matt Cibula stated that Unwound "plays with a tightness and richness that few bands can touch anymore; they have turned into the metal

Minutemen Minutemen were members of the organized New England colonial militia companies trained in weaponry, tactics, and military strategies during the American Revolutionary War. They were known for being ready at a minute's notice, hence the name. Mi ...

". Camilo Arturo Leslie of ''

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

'' wrote that he was "convinced that, if you've been following this band's development, the initial bewildered expression on your face will give way to total enchantment". In ''

The Wire ''The Wire'' is an American Crime film, crime drama Television show, television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The ...

'', Tom Ridge called the album a "radical departure in its scope and overall sound" from Unwound's previous works. According to Ridge, "the hardcore scene has spat out such individual classics at infrequent intervals, and ''Leaves'' sits comfortably alongside Hüsker Dü's ''

Zen Arcade ''Zen Arcade'' is the second studio album by American punk rock band Hüsker Dü, released in July 1984 on SST Records. Originally released as a double album on two vinyl LPs, ''Zen Arcade'' tells the story of a young boy who runs away from an unf ...

'', The Minutemen's ''

Double Nickels on the Dime ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' is the third album by American punk trio Minutemen, released on the California independent record label SST Records in 1984. A double album containing 45 songs, ''Double Nickels on the Dime'' combines elements of pu ...

'' and

Sonic Youth Sonic Youth was an American rock band based in New York City, formed in 1981. Founding members Thurston Moore (guitar, vocals), Kim Gordon (bass, vocals, guitar) and Lee Ranaldo (guitar, vocals) remained together for the entire history of the b ...

's ''

Daydream Nation ''Daydream Nation'' is the fifth full-length studio album and first double album by American alternative rock band Sonic Youth, released on October 18, 1988. The band recorded the album between July and August 1988 at Greene St. Recording in Ne ...

''."

Legacy and impact

In a 2014 ''

Quietus Titus Fulvius Junius Quietus (died 261) was a Roman usurper against Roman Emperor Gallienus. History Quietus was the son of Fulvius Macrianus and a noblewoman, possibly named Junia. According to ''Historia Augusta'', he was a military tribune ...

'' article, Angus Andrew of

experimental rock Experimental rock, also called avant-rock, is a subgenre of rock music that pushes the boundaries of common composition and performance technique or which experiments with the basic elements of the genre. Artists aim to liberate and innovate, with ...

group Liars revealed ''Leaves'' to be one of his favorite records, calling it an "overwhelmingly complete and brave" entry in Unwound's "near flawless" discography. Noting their move towards an "exciting, challenging and experimental" sound, he dubbed the album a "giant stylistic leap of faith" that his band "took a large dose of influence" from.

Track listing

All music composed by Unwound.

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes for ''Leaves Turn Inside You''. ;Unwound *

–

guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...

vocals Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or without ...

, background vocals (on "Summer Freeze"),

(on "Who Cares"),

Rhodes piano The Rhodes piano (also known as the Fender Rhodes piano) is an electric piano invented by Harold Rhodes, which became popular in the 1970s. Like a conventional piano, the Rhodes generates sound with keys and hammers, but instead of strings, t ...

(on "Terminus"),

piano The piano is a stringed keyboard instrument in which the strings are struck by wooden hammers that are coated with a softer material (modern hammers are covered with dense wool felt; some early pianos used leather). It is played using a keyboa ...

(on "Below the Salt"),

synthesizer A synthesizer (also spelled synthesiser) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis and ...

(on "Treachery" and "Radio Gra"),

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific method, scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad rang ...

production Production may refer to: Economics and business * Production (economics) * Production, the act of manufacturing goods * Production, in the outline of industrial organization, the act of making products (goods and services) * Production as a stati ...

tape Tape or Tapes may refer to: Material A long, narrow, thin strip of material (see also Ribbon (disambiguation): Adhesive tapes * Adhesive tape, any of many varieties of backing materials coated with an adhesive *Athletic tape, pressure-sensitiv ...

operation *

Sara Lund Sara Lund (born 1973) is a drummer from Washington State best known for drumming for the Olympia, Washington trio Unwound for a decade until their break up in 2002. Lund was playing for Witchypoo when she joined Unwound in 1992 after Brandt Sande ...

–

drums A drum kit (also called a drum set, trap set, or simply drums) is a collection of drums, cymbals, and other Percussion instrument, auxiliary percussion instruments set up to be played by one person. The player (drummer) typically holds a pair o ...

percussion A percussion instrument is a musical instrument that is sounded by being struck or scraped by a beater including attached or enclosed beaters or rattles struck, scraped or rubbed by hand or struck against another similar instrument. Exc ...

, background vocals (on "Demons Sing Love Songs"), engineering, production, tape operation *

Vern Rumsey Vernon Emmry Aldo Rumsey (January 24, 1973 – August 6, 2020) was an American musician. He rose to prominence as the bassist for the band Unwound. He generally played a Fender Jazz bass. He was also a recording engineer who has worked with band ...

–

bass Bass or Basses may refer to: Fish * Bass (fish), various saltwater and freshwater species Music * Bass (sound), describing low-frequency sound or one of several instruments in the bass range: ** Bass (instrument), including: ** Acoustic bass gui ...

, guitar (on "We Invent You" and "Terminus"),

organ Organ may refer to: Biology * Organ (biology), a part of an organism Musical instruments * Organ (music), a family of keyboard musical instruments characterized by sustained tone ** Electronic organ, an electronic keyboard instrument ** Hammond ...

(on "Off This Century"), piano (on "October All Over" and "Who Cares"), vocals (on "December"), engineering, production, tape operation *Brandt Sandeno – background vocals (on "Look a Ghost" and "Summer Freeze"),

harpsichord A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...

(on "Demons Sing Love Songs"), Mellotron (on "We Invent You", "Demons Sing Love Songs", "October All Over", "Radio Gra" and "Below the Salt"), organ (on "We Invent You"), Rhodes piano (on "Terminus" and "One Lick Less"),

slide guitar Slide guitar is a technique for playing the guitar that is often used in blues music. It involves playing a guitar while holding a hard object (a slide) against the strings, creating the opportunity for glissando effects and deep vibratos tha ...

(on "Off This Century"),

vibraphone The vibraphone is a percussion instrument in the metallophone family. It consists of tuned metal bars and is typically played by using mallets to strike the bars. A person who plays the vibraphone is called a ''vibraphonist,'' ''vibraharpist,' ...

(on "Who Cares"), engineering, tape operation ;Additional musicians * Murray W. – Optiphone (on "One Lick Less"), Dynachord (on "Summer Freeze") * Steve Fisk – Mellotron (on "Scarlette"), jazz performance (on "Who Cares") * Derek Johnson –

cello The cello ( ; plural ''celli'' or ''cellos'') or violoncello ( ; ) is a Bow (music), bowed (sometimes pizzicato, plucked and occasionally col legno, hit) string instrument of the violin family. Its four strings are usually intonation (music), t ...

(on "Terminus") *

– background vocals (on "Demons Sing Love Songs") ;Technical personnel * Kip Beelman – engineering, tape operation * Pat Castaldo – layout *

Phil Ek Phil Ek is an American record producer, engineer and mixer. Ek began his career in Seattle, Washington in the early 1990s recording live sound in clubs. He then moved into studio recording, recording small projects and demos for local bands. Aroun ...

– engineering, tape operation * Roger Seibel – mastering * Stefano Giovannini – photography

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2001 albums Albums produced by Phil Ek Kill Rock Stars albums Unwound albums