There are at least four artists with this name:

1) Leaves is an Icel… Read Full Bio ↴There are at least four artists with this name:

1) Leaves is an Icelandic indie band which came to prominence in 2002.

Icelandic indie band Leaves will release its third album this spring. The album, called We Are Shadows, will be available through download and mail order on May 11th. Four years in the making, the album sees the band develop their sound and songwriting even further.
Formed early in 2001 the band has an interesting story to tell. It all began when Arnar Guðjónsson and Hallur Már Hallsson rented a house in downtown Reykjavík. Arnar had been in a popular band but had songs in stock which didn't fit their style. This happened when computer recording was in its early days, the house was transformed into a studio and demos for songs piled up. Through series of coincindences the demos ended up at the offices of record labels in London and Los Angeles which immediately showed interest. Old friends; Arnar Ólafsson (guitar, vocals), Andri Ásgrímsson (keys) and Bjarni Grímsson (drums) began playing the songs with Arnar and Hallur and soon the band was formed. After some pondering the group settled on Leaves as an apt name. Referring to Five Leaves Left, the first album of English legend Nick Drake.
Leaves practiced mercilessly and played their first gig at a converted art gallery at the Airwaves festival in October 2001. For the summer everyone in the band sensed that something special was happening and the interest from abroad did nothing to dampen that feeling. The bands show garnered instant praise from Iceland’s music press which indicated what was to follow. A critic from The New York Times was impressed with the bands performance and Hallur appeared in an interview in the newspaper having only played one gig.....ever! A recording contract followed with London based B-Unique records. The contract stated that Dreamworks had first option for signing the band in the U.S.. Leaves had the industry buzzing and declined deals from Virgin Records, Island Records og Indiependiente in order to sign to a more indipendent label. In the fall of 2001 the band went on a short tour with The Bluetones before travelling to L.A. playing a showcase at the Viper Room for agents from Dreamworks which instantly spotted the bands charm and signed Leaves.
Early in 2002 the band began recording their first album in Reykjavík. The awayTEAM (Badly Drawn Boy, Athlete) was brought in to handle recordings. In the spring the band played all over the U.K. with bands such as Doves, The Coral, Electric Soft Parade, Athlete to promote the album which was mixed by Steve Osborne (Doves, Suede, Happy Mondays, KT Tunstall, Elbow, Starsailor) in Air Studios. At the homefront the song Breathe gained popularity and
gigs with The Strokes and Travis helped lift the their profile further.
Breathe was released in August 2002. Critics loved the album wich got raving reviews in magazines and newspapers such as Q-magazine (the magazine selected Breathe as one of the 50 best albums of 2002), Uncut and The Fly. The band did the festival route and played tirelessly. In spite of critical acclaim and good response the band did not get the airplay needed to break through in the U.K.
Breathe was released in 2003 in the U.S., the band had recorded an extra song for the U.S. version which was recorded in L.A. late in 2002 and produced by Ron Aniello. The song was a big hit in Iceland after featuring in a creditcard commercial. Leaves then toured the U.S. supporting Welsh rockers Stereophonics to promote the album. The Rolling Stone commented that Breathe was one of the best unnoticed albums of the year. The title song played in the background during an epic lovescene in teenage drama The O.C., still there was no sign of commercial success.
Now it was time to move on to the next album. Bjarni had left the band being replaced by beat virtuoso Nói Steinn Einarsson and Andri permanently joined the band. The pair had been in a post-rock band Náttfari which garnered some praise at the turn of the century when Reykjavik’s music scene was probably as exciting as it has ever been. Leaves had developed their sound considerably, arrangements were now complex and layered while instrumentation had also come a long way. Still songs like Whatever and The Spell showed the bands ability to write accessible tunes. The Angela Test was recorded in the bands studio in Reykjavik in the summer of 2004. Ian Davenport who had also worked on Breathe engineered while Marius de Vries (Björk, Madonna, Rufus Wainwright, U2, PJ Harvey og Elbow) produced. When recordings were finished in the fall the album was mixed by Rich Costey (Muse, The Mars Volta, Foo Fighters, Supergrass and Interpol). The band had now signed to London based Island Records.
In the summer of 2005 the band supported Supergrass and Thirteen Senses on tours also playing some festivals and doing a headline tour in the fall. In Iceland the band played a fantastic sold out show at NASA as well as supporting pop giants Duran Duran. The album got warm reviews in magazines and newspapers although the hype surrounding Breathe was absent. Strangely the album recieved little attention in Iceland, it was distributed by Universal worldwide. That meant it came to Iceland through the same channels as other foreign acts, still The Spell remains one of the bands biggest hits. The Angela Test is by many considered Iceland’s most underrated album to date.
Few Icelandic bands have a similar story to tell as Leaves do, the band has had some considerable success though it has not reached the heights suggested earlier on. Still the band is now 8 years old, an age few bands reach in Iceland and has developed consistantly. Listening to We Are Shadows this fact becomes obvious, the care and thought put in each song speak volumes. The quality of the songwriting along with majestic arrangements and interesting recordings make We Are Shadows worthy of being called the bands best album to date.

The band consists of:

* Arnar Guðjónsson: lead vocals, piano, guitar
* Hallur Hallsson: bass guitar
* Kjartan F. Olafsson piano, keyboards
* Nói Steinn Einarsson: drums
* Andri Asgrimsson: Guitar, keyboards

This article is about the Icelandic alternative rock band. For the 1960s American garage band, see The Leaves.

2) Leaves is also a gothic-rock metal band from Barcelona, with female vocals, in the way of The Gathering

www.myspace.com/leavesbcn

3) Czech drone/ambient artist, has a track on 'out of place artefacts Vol.1' compilation CD.

4) Leaves is also an American, self-producing pop artist from Winchester, VA that began writing and recording in autumn of 2009. Plans for an EP release of his first four recordings have been announced, and it will be available for free download in January 2011.

RACE
Leaves Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

In my race, to have it all
To nail it all, I have become
A useless bag, a dead man's sack
All these things find me now

But I get myself a good night's sleep
I don't know what to do about you now

Sometimes breathing's
The hardest thing to do
I'm runnin' after you
Two souls leavin'
ever feelin' down
never turn around

I keep on, movin' round
Turnin' down the things you do
Would it change anything
Heavenly Saints at all

But I get myself a good night's sleep
I don't know what to do about you now

Sometimes breathin's
The hardest thing to do
Runnin' after you
Two souls leavin'
ever feelin' down
never turn around

Now that I know, yeah
You know that I will
Now that I know
I keep on movin', cruisin'

Sometimes breathing's
The hardest thing to do
Runnin' after you
Two souls leavin'
ever feelin' down
never turn around

[Sometimes breathing's (We could make it and it)
The hardest thing to do (Should be alright, cause the bad things inside)
Runnin' after you
Two souls leavin' (Now we can make it and it)

ever feelin' down (Should be alright cause there's bad things inside)
Never turn around] x3

Overall Meaning

The song "Race" by the band Leaves reflects on the idea of chasing after success and materialistic things at the cost of losing one's self and becoming a "useless bag, a dead man's sack." The use of imagery in this line creates a powerful impact, suggesting that despite the pursuit of success, one ends up empty and unfulfilled. The repetition of "I don't know what to do about you now" reflects the character's confusion and helplessness, indicating that the singer has lost their motivation and direction in life. The line "sometimes breathing's the hardest thing to do" represents the emotional turmoil and stress that the character goes through.

The second verse continues the theme of confusion and melancholy. The phrase "turning down the things you do, would it change anything" brings to light the uncertainty and confusion of the character's mission. The line "Heavenly Saints at all" could be a metaphorical reference to something greater than oneself, which the character feels like they cannot reach. The repetition of the phrase "running after you, two souls leaving, ever feeling down, never turn around" signifies the constant pursuit of something that is always slipping away, and the cycle of sadness and disappointment that results.

Overall, the song "Race" is a powerful reflection on the futility of chasing after material success without caring for oneself. Instead of attaining fulfillment, the character ends up feeling lost and confused, with no sense of direction.

Line by Line Meaning

In my race, to have it all
I was always in a rush to get everything I wanted

To nail it all, I have become
I worked hard to achieve everything, but it left me feeling empty

A useless bag, a dead man's sack
All my possessions have not brought me happiness, they're like a burden on me

All these things find me now
Despite having everything, I still feel unfulfilled and unsatisfied

But I get myself a good night's sleep
Even though I am struggling, I still try to take care of myself

I don't know what to do about you now
I am unsure of how to handle my emotions and my situation

Sometimes breathing's The hardest thing to do
Sometimes it's tough just to keep going and survive

I'm runnin' after you Two souls leavin'
I am chasing something or someone that is leaving me behind

ever feelin' down never turn around
I know I should keep moving forward, even in tough times

I keep on, movin' round Turnin' down the things you do
I am trying to distance myself from something unhealthy or harmful

Would it change anything Heavenly Saints at all
I wonder if anything I do will ever really make a difference or bring me peace

Now that I know, yeah You know that I will
Now that I have learned something, I will use it to move forward

I keep on movin', cruisin'
I will continue to try to make progress and move forward

[Sometimes breathing's (We could make it and it) The hardest thing to do (Should be alright, cause the bad things inside) Runnin' after you Two souls leavin' (Now we can make it and it) ever feelin' down (Should be alright cause there's bad things inside) Never turn around] x3
Even though things are tough, I will keep trying to make it work and not give up

Contributed by Katherine L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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