Gold Leaves

Gold Leaves is the solo project of Grant Olsen, half of the Seattle-based folk-psych revivalist duo Arthur & Yu. Olsen, influenced by the eclectic ‘60s songcraft of performers like Fred Neil, Skip Spence, and Scott Walker, began working on his solo debut in 2007, only to return to square one after his laptop and notes were stolen. The intervening years saw many life changes for Olsen: marriage, travel abroad, and the birth and death of loved ones, lending a new perspective to the project. With the help of Jason Quever (Papercuts) both behind and in front of the microphone, along with percussionist Ben McConnell (Beach House, Au Revoir Simone) and backing vocalists Thao Nguyen (Thao with the Get Down Stay Down, Thao & Mirah), Amy Blaschke (Night Canopy, Minus the Bear) and rootsy indie rock outfit the Moondoggies, Gold Leaves released full-length debut The Ornament for Hardly Art in summer 2011, an autumnal blend of Olsen's ragged vocals with soul-meets-'60s psychedelia arrangements.