"The La's" by The La's (originally released 1991 - remastered 2001)
The one and only release by "The La's" is my favorite CD of the 90s! The brilliant pop eccentric Lee Mavers labored long and hard to produce this power britpop touchstone which is mainly remembered for the pure perfection of the sterling earworm "There She Goes". Overflowing with hooks, jangly guitars, unforgettable melodies and Maver's vocals (think Oasis) this is a cleanly produced pop/rock masterpiece! Opener "Son of a Gun" is a pretty song resting on a bed of acoustic guitars, "I Can't Sleep" comes out rocking and crashes into a short burst of a guitar solo, "Timeless Melody" features more chiming guitar, the hypnotically herky-jerkiness of "Way Out", the singalong joy of the ironically titled "Doledrum", The hard rocking "Failure", the delightful falsetto voice and poppiness of "Feelin'" and so it goes for twelve tracks (17 on the remaster) of amazing precision pop. All the tunes clock in at around three minutes and have concise and beautifully constructed guitar solos until the epic eight minute finale of "Looking Glass" which ends amid rhythms accelerating to a noise filled crescendo. A bonus track highlight from the 2001 remaster is the punchy "Knock Me Down". It is astounding how much raw energy and life leaps from the speakers given the perfectionist mentality that went into the making of this album. I never tire of hearing these songs and if you want more there is a great BBC Sessions disc and lots of Youtube live footage (they sound great). Long live the pop perfection of The La's!
"The Pains of Being Pure at Heart" by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (released 2009)
The debut from this Brooklyn quartet is a delicious slice of dream pop. Ten wonderful tunes featuring warm fuzzy guitars, powerful choruses and winsome vocals that drive this album from the first note to the last. The hard charging beauty of "Come Saturday" is pure ear candy. "Young Adult Friction" employs nice harmonies and a scintillating choppy guitar break. "This Love is F**king Right!" is shoegazing music in the best way, a wash of beautiful rhythm and melody. "Everything With You" mines a similar vein while "Stay Alive" is a pretty ballad placed in the middle of the disc to nice effect. "A Teenager In Love" has an 80s vibe due to the synth sounds and is followed by "Hey Paul" a catchy two minute blast of pop/rock energy. "Gentle Sons" finishes off this musical treasure with a majestic wall of fuzzed out guitar noise. This short but incredibly beautiful focused effort may not break any new musical ground but it is a real pop rush (a top 5 pick for me in 2009) and I look forward to hearing the new "Pains of Being Pure at Heart" disc "Belong" which has just been released.
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