Nightlight Versions

Few bands are as well-named as the Leaf Library, who spend their debut album, Daylight Versions, carefully observing nature and its emotional effects with a gentle whimsy. On these songs, the group moves away from the citified bustle of the 2014 single "The Greater Good" and the 2015 split single with Smile Down Upon Us, "Walking Backward/Magical Breath." Instead, their mellow yet intricate approach is closer to a fuller-sounding version of the 2011 collection Different Activities, Similar Diversions, as well as the work of Imitation Electric Piano and especially Movietone: from its title to its mix of misty atmosphere and subtly busy percussion, "Slow Spring" feels like a lost track from the latter band's The Blossom Filled Streets. Throughout Daylight Versions, the Leaf Library evoke other acts that fuse experimental ideas with indie pop melodies in quietly compelling ways, whether they adopt Yo La Tengo's fuzzy warmth on "Asleep Between Stations" or Pram's subtly shifting layers on "Acre." However, the bandmembers' commitment to their subject matter sets them apart. Inspired by vintage British travelogues such as W.G. Sebald's Rings of Saturn and Robert Macfarlane's The Old Ways, they excel at capturing the nuances of their surroundings: "Tilting" embodies the giddiness of the first signs of spring, while "April" reflects the season's more pensive side. The North Sea is practically the album's main character, with "Summer Moon"'s beachy folk and "Pushing/Swimming"'s poetic lyrics ("The seas turn white/By October light") expressing its many moods. Likewise, songs such as the glistening maritime lullaby "Sailing Day" and the kinetic "Rings of Saturn" reflect how diverse the band's music is within its style. While the Leaf Library might be a little too subtle for their own good every now and then, Daylight Versions is a uniquely soothing, tender album that's almost as restful and refreshing as being one with nature.