Irrespective of genre or era, most excellent records possess a transportive quality, a way of enveloping the listener in a creatively fabricated world that breathes itself into existence for mere minutes at a time and before disappearing into memory. On “Winter Windows,” the second track of the kaleidescopic Leaves in the River, Alex Brown Church laments “This is the world we live in/It’s not the one I’d choose but it’s the one we’re given.”

In light of the motley orbits Church soars through this notion rings ironic; Leaves in the River is nothing if not an attempt to erect new worlds. Every song strides through unique expanses and does so with an unassailably bold confidence. Where other songwriters would be ensnared by the pitfalls of dilettantism, Church thrives on keeping his music diversely oriented and superbly crafted.

More impressively, Church does all of this while going it alone. Sea Wolf is the stagename for Church and the music on Leaves in the River is all his. Given the caliber of his talent, it’s difficult to believe that he didn’t write his first song until after he graduated from college, the prototypical late bloomer. However, after learning more about Church’s past things become a little clearer: having grown up in a small California town, he received his higher education on the streets of Manhattan, spent a year camping in the French countryside, and traveling everywhere from the Barbary Coast to Alaska. It sounds trite but his songs reflect the heightened awareness that comes from being exposed to so many different cultures. Church was also a film student, which helps explain the cinematic nature of his compositions. He has a solid grasp of pop conventions, sure, but Church also knows when to brood, when to fade, when to let things slacken up.

Describing Leaves in the River in the most literal sense is tricky, if only because the album’s title–metaphoric allusions and all–crystallizes its essence better than a dictionary of musicology ever could. It’s the sound of a journey, of wandering that is not quite aimless but leisurely all the same. For those who need more palpable references you can add the Decemberists’ sense of storytelling and bravura, the bedside intimacy of a Jose Gonzalez, and Wilco’s facility with variegated musical styles. Phil Ek’s production is spot on, filled with the same golden touches he brought to Band of Horses’ acclaimed Everything All the Time last year.

With this premiere, Sea Wolf seems destined to become a darling of the indie blogosphere and for all the right reasons. Tour dates with labelmates Silversun Pickups and enduring alt-rockers Nada Surf will help grant some immediate exposure to Church’s project, although one can’t help but wonder how his one man show will translate to life on the road. Nonetheless, such a captivating record deserves to be heard–here’s hoping it does.

Leaves in the River will be released by Dangerbird Records on September 25, 2007. Sea Wolf’s debut EP, Get to the River Before It Runs Too Low is available now.

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