AMG Review of All Under the Leaves, The Leaves of Life

Stewart Mason
All Music Guide

Thuddingly pretentious album title aside, 1996's All Under the Leaves, the Leaves of Life proves that Eyeless in Gaza did the right thing in reuniting in the mid-'90s. Less a rerun of the duo's older sounds than an interesting new juxtaposition of elements from throughout the first six years of their career, this album features the harsh electronics of the earliest Eyeless in Gaza singles ("Struck Like Jacob Marley" and "Fracture Track" are as noisy as anything they've ever done), the delicate, almost folkish minimalism of their best work ("Morning" and "Damning Yourself Broken," in particular, could be on Rust Red September), and the pop-oriented keyboards of their mid-'80s singles ("Answer Song and Dance," "Passing and Distance View"). The twin highlights come at the end, with the gorgeous "Three Ships," a minimalist organ piece that recalls Terry Riley's A Rainbow in Curved Air, and "As Was," a lovely acoustic guitar and voice coda to a mysterious, intriguing album.