If you’re a fan of Fleet Foxes, Devendra Banhart, or Velvet Underground, I highly recommend checking out Gold Leaves. It’s a new project of Grant Olsen’s, who is best known as one half of the Seattle band, Arthur & Yu. The lo-fi layering of instruments and lush vocals on Gold Leaves debut, The Ornament, blend together a new age folk sound with 60s era pop. It has a reflective quality that’s perfect music for this fall/winter transition. A few of my favorite songs on the 9 track album include, “Cruel & Kind,””Futures,””Endless Dope,” and “The Ornament.”

Olson spent four years putting together The Ornament, although much of the early work was scrapped after his laptop was stolen. When asked in an interview with SEA live MUSIC why he branched off from Arthur & Yu for the album, he responded: “Mostly, it was just that these songs were a bit more first person and more personal and Sonya [other member of Artist & Yu] graciously encouraged me to record some of this on my own and try to make Arthur & Yu something more collaborative. It makes sense to want to feel connected to something if you’re going to go broke in a van for a handful of months why playing these songs every night.”

The Ornament (2011):

Gold Leaves – Cruel & Kind (mp3)

Gold Leaves – The Ornament (mp3)

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