January 31, 2016

The La´s - The La´s (1990)

The La's were an English rock band from Liverpool, originally active from 1983 until 1992. Fronted by singer, songwriter and guitarist Lee Mavers, the group are best known for their hit single "There She Goes".

Some albums exist outside of time or place, gently floating on their own style and sensibility. Of those, the La's lone album may be the most beguiling, a record that consciously calls upon the hooks and harmonies of 1964 without seeming fussily retro, a trick that anticipated the cheerful classicism of the Brit-pop '90s. But where their sons Oasis and Blur were all too eager to carry the torch of the past, Lee Mavers and the La's exist outside of time, suggesting the '60s in their simple, tuneful, acoustic-driven arrangements but seeming modern in their open, spacy approach, sometimes as ethereal as anything coming out of the 4AD stable but brought down to earth by their lean, no-nonsense attack, almost as sinewy as any unaffected British Invasion band. But where so many guitar pop bands seem inhibited by tradition, the La's were liberated by it, using basic elements to construct their own identity, one that's propulsive and tuneful, or sweetly seductive, as it is on the band's best-known song, "There She Goes." That song is indicative of the La's material in its melodic pull; the rest of the album has a bit more muscle, whether the group is bashing out a modern-day Merseybeat on "Liberty Ship" and bouncing two-step "Doledrum," or alluding to Morrissey's elliptical phrasing on "Timeless Melody." This force gives the La's some distinction, separating them from nostalgic revivalists even as their dedication to unadorned acoustic arrangements separates them from their contemporaries, but it's this wildly willful sensibility -- so respectful of the past it can't imagine not following its own path that turns The La's into its own unique entity, indebted to the past and pointing toward the future, yet not belonging to either.

Track listing

01. "Son of a Gun"  - 1:55
02. "I Can't Sleep"  - 2:37
03. "Timeless Melody"  - 3:01
04. "Liberty Ship"  - 2:31
05. "There She Goes"  - 2:42
06. "Doledrum"  - 2:50
07. "Feelin'"  - 1:45
08. "Way Out"  - 2:32
09. "I.O.U."  - 2:13
10. "Freedom Song"  - 2:23
11. "Failure"  - 2:54
12. "Looking Glass"  - 7:51

All songs written and composed by Lee Mavers (except where stated).

The La's
Lee Mavers – guitar, vocals
John Power – bass, backing vocals
Peter "Cammy" Camell – guitar
Neil Mavers – drums
John "Boo" Byrne – guitar
Chris Sharrock – drums
Paul Hemmings – guitar
John "Timmo" Timson – drums

Production
Mark Wallis – additional producer, engineer
Donal Hodgson – engineer
Producer(s) - Steve Lillywhite, Bob Andrews
Dave Charles – engineer
Additional personnel
Ryan Art – design

Notes
Release date: 1 October 1990
Recorded at: Woodcray Studios, Wokingham, Eden Studios, London
Genre: Jangle pop, alternative rock
Length: 35:14
© 1990

Label - Go! Discs

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