Album of the Day, Day 1 - Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound (2001)

Anyone who knows me knows that my favourite album of all time is Leaves Turn Inside You by Unwound, released in April 2001, and I want everyone on this site I just signed up for to know about it.

Genre: Indie Rock, Post-Rock, Post-Hardcore, Art Rock (these are all kinda debatable tbf but this is what I'd call it, so if you're interested in any of these genres I'd say to check it out)

Context: Thought I'd talk a little bit about the band themselves before I get into each individual track. Before this album, Unwound was a three-piece band of Justin Trosper (vocals, guitar), Sara Lund (drums) and Vern Rumsey (bass), from Olympia, Washington, who mostly made music focused on post-hardcore before Leaves. On New Plastic Ideas (1994) they dabbled in some post-rock on the song Abstraktions but outside of that their first four albums with that lineup (not counting the self-titled records, though the same does apply to them) were very much post-hardcore through and through. Then in 1998 they released Challenge For a Civilized Society, not quite a left-turn but it was definitely a shift in direction for the band, even if the focus was still on making post-hardcore. Two songs on that album were nearing 10 minutes, and everything after the 4th track feels way more experimental and like a completely new move for the band. However, three years later they'd release Leaves Turn Inside You, which is even more of a far cry from their previous sound, which I'll explore more on a track-by-track basis. This would unfortunately end up being their final album, as they disbanded just under a year later on April 1st 2002. And while they recently reformed (without Vern, who unfortunately passed away in 2020), they're yet to perform songs live.

Track 1 - We Invent You: The album begins with a 2-minute long drone, an immediate sign that this isn't a regular Unwound album. I really like this drone tbh, every now and then this one note fades in and out and I really like how warm it feels. Then a guitar starts playing as the drone fades out, and as the drums come in, the grandiosity of the song shows itself. The entire song feels massive from this point on, which makes for a really triumphant album opener and a precursor to the ambition shown on the rest of the album

Track 2 - Look a Ghost: Pretty sure this is the most popular track on the album, and while I kind of understand why, it's definitely not my favourite. I love how the song flows from section to section, and the "look a ghost came through the door, from a thousand years before" part is really catchy. The guitarwork is great too, the main riff is amazing, it's just not a 10/10 for me. Something feels missing and I'm not sure what. Even so it stands as a great song.

Track 3 - December: Probably the closest song on here to post-hardcore, opens with a great bassline, the verses are quieter but always feel like they're on the brink of exploding, and they do, the bridge from the verse to the chorus having one of the best guitar tones I've ever heard. The instrumental section towards the end is one of my favourite moments on the album, a theme that will continue throughout the album. Unwound make some of the most carefully-constructed instrumental sections in general, but this album really shines a spotlight on them and elevates them.

Track 4 - Treachery: Starts with some synths, making you wonder what on earth this song could be, but then the guitar comes in and its a similar deal with the tracks before it, the drums on this song give it this kind of bouncy feel, and the chorus just being Justin singing "tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-tr-treachery" is a really memorable moment, the outro on here is really cool too, even if there's a good 40 seconds of a slow fadeout at the end.

Track 5 - Terminus: The first of two songs on the album that reach 10-minutes in length (or thereabouts), except this is more like three songs combined to make a suite kind of thing. The first part is probably the closest they get to their old sound on the album, even if Trosper's vocals are so much more reserved than the shouts of the older stuff. It progressively gets more intense before transitioning into a Godspeed You! Black Emperor-esque instrumental piece in the middle of the song, which, again, gradually builds and becomes more intense as the section goes on. The cellos wail even louder and the guitars play with an increased feeling of desperation, until the string section plays by itself, immediately cutting out as the third and final section begins. This is another instrumental section that focuses around an effects-laden guitar melody. As more effects are added to the guitar as the section goes on, the more ethereal it begins to feel, and ends just after reaching its peak. This is the fan-favourite on the album, all three sections being phenomenal compositions that come together perfectly, the nearly ten-minute runtime doesn't feel like that at all.

Track 6 - Demons Sing Love Songs: "Lo's a demon, lo's a demon, lo's a demon, loooooo" this is the song I have based my entire online presence around so I don't even have to explain that I think it's good.

Track 7 - Off This Century: Probably the most immediate song on the album, starts off with an insane amount of energy, and it keeps the momentum up throughout the entire song. The chorus feels relentless, like being caught in a hurricane, and it just goes on and on, it's a spectacle. It goes back to the verse after this, as Trosper sings the final line of the song, "and if you thought the last ten years was bad..." before the instrumental outro, which takes the intro and adds more layers and detail to it, tying the song up really well, and being a really satisfying conclusion to the first disc of the album.

Track 8 - One Lick Less: Starts with a drum jumpscare that doesn't actually come back. Then as the acoustic guitar starts to fade in slowly, and the bass starts playing (which sounds beautiful on this song, its tone is perfect), this quickly shows itself to be the most ethereal Unwound song. I've heard comparisons to Isn't Anything by My Bloody Valentine, and while I can't confirm this I can definitely hear some dream pop/shoegaze influence on here. It really makes me believe that they can take any concept and make it work really well, the second half of this is pure bliss.

Track 9 - Scarlette: I know I keep talking about their post-hardcore roots and honestly this will be the last time, but even if this does technically fit into the genre, it doesn't feel like anything else they've done before this. The section in the middle before the last chorus feels so characteristic for the album that I can't imagine it anywhere else. But this is the most aggressive and raw the album gets, even if Justin's vocals have some filters over them and it feels like he isn't giving it his all, it feels intentional (he doesn't do this live, he sings in his normal shouty voice instead).

Track 10 - October All Over: The song that cements this as the ultimate Autumn album, this song has one of the most distinctly beautiful riffs I've heard and some of the most cutting lyrics I've heard. "Sometimes you'll laugh so hard you'll cry", when held to the standards of Trosper's generally existential lyricism, hits hard at times. Time feels like it moves so fast that achievements begin to feel fleeting, and sometimes you'll realise this and laugh so hard you'll cry. It's a really distinct way of describing a feeling of hopelessness and I can't help but want to explain just how good this one line is. The way he sings it as well feels so lifeless in a way that actually supports the song, the feeling of pain coming from his voice. Combined with how noisy the drums are, and how the bass and guitars feel like they're singing themselves with how expressive their melodies and tones are, especially in the instrumental section. The fact that this song exists at all astonishes me, and it's my second favourite behind Demons Sing Love Songs.

Track 11 - Summer Freeze: The second half of this album is definitely darker than the first, and this one really speaks for itself. "Summer's freezing me", expressing so much in three words. But the star of the show here is the guitar riff, how it changes throughout the song, and the instrumental outro that just goes on unrelentingly, but not to the point of tedium, it's just enough so that it stays exciting and keeps the momentum up. Another great one here.

Track 12 - Radio Gra: The obligatory instrumental on an Unwound album. I'll be honest, this is still like a 9/10 song but it's the one that still has a lot of room to grow on me, so it's hard to say how I feel about this one in particular. I spend a lot of time on this song anticipating the next.

Track 13 - Below the Salt: The longest song in Unwound's discography, at 10 minutes and 41 seconds. It's also one of their best, and most crushing. I'm not entirely sure how to describe this one, it's another fan favourite but unlike Terminus, it mostly sticks to the same concept throughout and just builds up slowly. I really have to be in the right mood to get the most out of this one, because when I put my full focus onto it, it's one of the best things ever. The piano that plays throughout the song that eventually starts playing this swirling melody towards the end after 8 or so minutes, the guitar starting to match Trosper's vocal melody at some point, the intensity of the song increasing gradually over it's runtime... it manages to feel like it's reached the depths of both hopelessness and desperation at the same time. I've still never heard anything quite like it.

Track 14 - Who Cares: This is more of an instrumental outro than anything, transitioning into a reprise of We Invent You, and then playing what sounds like some old circus music or something stupid like that to end the album.

Overall thoughts: For these reasons and many others that I might get into now, this is my favourite album of all time. The way all these songs can feel so different yet cohesive at the same time over the length of nearly 80 minutes(!!!) is a testament to Unwound's ability as songwriters and musicians. It's also a really good autumn album, I love going for walks around this time of year with my headphones on, just playing this album. I could sing the praises of this album forever, but I'm not sure what else to say about it rn. Either way, if I hadn't already made it clear, I highly recommend this album. It might take a few listens to click (it did for me) but if you stick with it, it's extremely rewarding.

10/10