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.
How often does a band come along, put out an amazing, resonant, timeless debut album (one that even spawns a memorable single which is covered and used over and over in commercials a decade later), and then, for all intents and purposes, disappear?Not too often.Then, we have The La’s.Not Alison Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La”; or Ronnie Lane singing the Faces’ “Ooh La La.”; or that Christmas
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How often does a band come along, put out an amazing, resonant, timeless debut album (one that even spawns a memorable single which is covered and used over and over in commercials a decade later), and then, for all intents and purposes, disappear?Not too often.Then, we have The La’s.Not Alison Goldfrapp’s “Ooh La La”; or Ronnie Lane singing the Faces’ “Ooh La La.”; or that Christmas
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23rd part of my ongoing look at the music that made liverpool great.liverpool bands have produced some of the best music ever,every week i’m going to post a song/video from a group or singer from liverpool some popular and some not so popularthis week it’s The La'sThe La's (1984-91) feat; Chris Sharrock (drms),Lee Mavers (voc,gtr), Mike Badger (gtr,voc) , John Power (bass). Signed to Go Discs
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- To make a body of work that is excellent despite being so obviously rooted in the music of yesteryear is a great achievement. The La's one and only album [1990] is so assured that any notions of nostalgic cheese can be waved in an instant; all this despite the band's leader, Lee Mavers, dismissing the material wi...
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Now this is a classic. The La's were a great band, and Lee Mavers wrote an album's worth of genius songs for their 1990 debut. They also were totally inspiring live performers - check out this vid from Much Music (and try to ignore the dipshit VJ):
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This CD and Band still rate!Enjoy these Gems!
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This is going to be a meandering little stream of consciousness, so try not to get lost...As I posted earlier, kcolizzle took me to a Yankees game yesterday as an early birthday present...One of the pitchers for the Yankees is Mike Myers...Michael Myers is the villan in the "Halloween" series of movies...Freddy Kruger is the villan in the "Friday the 13th" series of movies...Mike Myers (of the ...
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Results of week 40-41: Which is your favourite decade? The 50s 4 (5%) The 60s 11 (16%) The 70s 8 (11%) The 80s 21 (30%) The 90s 24 (35%) Total votes: 68 I'm thrilled that so many agreed with my affection of the decade which I grew up in. This just might be another hint that a new 90s retrospective revitalization is drawing near. The 80s have had their share and I'll be damned if I'm no...
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| Title | Lyrics | Buy |
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| 1 Son of a Gun |
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| 2 I Can't Sleep |
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| 3 Timeless Melody |
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| 4 Liberty Ship |
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| 5 There She Goes |
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| 6 Doledrum |
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| 7 Feelin' |
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| 8 Way Out |
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| 9 I.O.U. |
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| 10 Freedom Song |
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| 11 Failure |
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| 12 Looking Glass |
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Click to purchase…
© 2006-2009 Mog Inc. All Rights Reserved
 "The La's")
