Lu-Ly

Lu7 (Japan): L’Esprit De L’Exil (Muséa FGBG 4572.AR/InterMusic IM-003, CD, France, 2004)

Progressive

Luna Umegaki (keyboards, melodeon, programming)

This duo of a keyboardist and a guitarist, plus a few guests, offer instrumental music that varies from the bombastic to the pastoral. Given the line-up, it’s inevitably rather thin-sounding, and the guitar and keyboard sounds chosen are identikit neoprog, so whilst it’s perfectly listenable it’s nothing really special. GRADE: C+.

Lu7 (Japan): Efflorescence (Muséa FGBG 4638.AR/InterMusic IM-007, CD, France, 2006)

Jazz/Rock/Progressive

Luna Umegaki (keyboards, programming)

Their second and final album is quite different from their first, and also somewhat better, essentially being jazz-fusion with symphonic and neoprogressive edges. It’s not what you’d called cutting-edge, but they sound more comfortable in this mode and the end results are a touch more accomplished. GRADE: C+.

Lucifer (Japan): Marginia (Belle Antique BELLE 97392, CD, with obi, 1993)
Progressive
Kunika Furudate (principal vocals), Noriko Takashina (occasional vocals), Sawana Imai (keyboards, backing vocals), Chiako Yamashita (piano, backing vocals), Itsuko Kataoka (synthesiser, backing vocals), Hajime Tachibana (violin)
I’ve seen this odd little album, recorded by a 12-piece band (who don’t play collectively on any of the tracks) compared to a cross between Renaissance, Mike Oldfield and Malicorne. However, whilst the first two references make sense (I can’t hear anything even vaguely recalling Malicorne, although the music is a tad folky) it doesn’t sound much like either of them. With mostly shortish songs, mainly sung in English, this is dainty stuff with lots of neoclassical and pop references and plenty of keyboards and violin, but whilst it’s quite ornate it’s also pretty low-budget and has an unassuming and rather home-made feel. It’s also one of the most unlikely albums to include a drum solo, which sits very oddly in this context. As a footnote, according to one website they made five other albums that were released on cassette and distributed to friends. GRADE: C+.

Lucifer (UK/Sweden): Lucifer I (Rise Above RISELP200, LP plus 7", black, clear or gold vinyl, with insert and keychain, 2015)
Metal
Johanna Sadonis (lead vocals, keyboards)
Whereas Johanna Sadonis’s previous band the Oath offered great metal, her new, mostly British outfit offers merely good metal, with the lack of variety representing its major downfall. The riffs are crunchy enough, the hard rock and doom edges add a bit of a retro vibe, and it’s all expertly sung and played, but music this stripped-down lives or dies on its song and this crop is merely solid. GRADE: C+.
Lucifer (Sweden): Lucifer II (Century Media 19075858872, CD, Germany, 2018)
Metal
Johanna Sadonis
Album number two, recorded with an all-Swedish line-up, is perhaps a slight step up from their first. However, it’s very much in the same vein, offering an overview of stripped-down metal, hard rock and blues/rock styles: all solid, all enjoyable, none quite memorable enough to make it a B–. GRADE: C+.

Lucifer (UK/Sweden): Lucifer III (Century Media, LP plus CD, some on coloured vinyl, 2020)
Metal
Johanna Sadonis
This is oriented slightly more towards stoner rock, which is no bad thing. But once again, it’s all very straightforward and there are no outstanding songs, though they’re all pretty good. GRADE: C+.
Lucifer (UK/Sweden): Lucifer IV (Century Media 19439883992, CD, with digipak and poster booklet, 2021)
Metal
Johanna Sadonis (lead vocals, keyboards)
Their albums’ (lack of) titles tell their own story: each Lucifer album is pretty interchangeable with any other. They’re all good solid retro hard rock and metal: stripped-down, unpretentious and solid. But they make me wish for a bit of pretension and – even more so – for a few songs more of the standard of ‘Mausoleum’ that rank better than ‘solid’. GRADE: C+.

Lucifer (Sweden): V (Nuclear Blast NBR 70172, CD, with poster booklet, 2024)
Metal
Johanna Sadonis (lead vocals)
The opening double whammy of the riff-driven ‘Fallen Angel’ and the richly melodic ‘At The Mortuary’ convinced me that this was going to be Lucifer’s first B– album. However, the lack of variety in the remaining songs pulls it back down to C+, though it’s certainly their most confident album to date and comes very close to the cusp. GRADE: C+.

See also Oath

Luciferian Light Orchestra (Sweden): Luciferian Light Orchestra (Adulruna Adul 003, gold CD, with book sleeve, 2015)
Metal
Mari Paul (joint lead vocals)
This side-project by Therion’s Christofer Johnsson supposedly showcases material with more seventies sound. Whilst it’s definitely operating in the same area as retro-occult rockers such as Blood Ceremony and Devil’s Blood, it doesn’t sound particularly seventies to me, and only occasionally does it resemble Therion. Instead it offers solid stripped-down metal, without Therion’s epic choirs and orchestrations and with definite pop edges (not for nothing was it recorded at Abba’s Polar Studios). Compared to Therion, it’s perhaps a bit slight, but it’s also refreshingly unpretentious and contains some good hooks and riffs. GRADE: B–.

Ludlows (Ireland): The Wind And The Sea (Pye NPL.18150, UK, 1966)
Folk
Margaret O’ Brien (joint lead vocals)
With simple backing from acoustic guitars, this is fairly basic traditional and contemporary folk. In parts it’s a bit square and most of it is pretty dated, but it’s pleasant enough listening and the singing and playing is certainly quite capable. GRADE: C.

Lukas Tower Band (Germany): After Long Years (Lukas Tower Band LBTCD03, Germany, 2004)
Progressive
Angela Maier (principal vocals), Ricki (occasional vocals)
Apparently the band’s debut album (despite the catalogue number), this got its title because it was released a full 20 years after their formation. It consists of eight songs recorded between 2001 and 2003 and three ‘bonus tracks’ cut in 1993 (though with vocals overdubbed in 1998 and 2001). The main body of the disc consists of relaxed, very understated, mid-paced prog with folky and jazzy edges, and lyrics mainly taken from poets like Samuel Taylor Coleridge, Percy Bysshe Shelley and Walter Scott. For the closing cut, the band offer a completely different (and much inferior) setting of ‘Thomas The Rhymer’ that bears no resemblance to Steeleye Span’s more celebrated interpretation. The three bonus tracks (one featuring a different female singer credited only as ‘Ricki’, who was presumably Angela Maier’s predecessor) are in a slightly more mainstream rock style, but are also not bad. As a footnote, the band claimed that in the early eighties they were fronted by a vocalist called Brigitte Schmidt who sounded like a cross between Sandy Denny and Janis Joplin, although I find that almost impossible to imagine. GRADE: C+.
Lukas Tower Band (Germany): Albedo (Transformer, CDR, 2010)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Angela Maier (lead vocals), Silvia Szekely (violin), Ursula Wilpert (whistle)
Whereas their first was a progressive album with folk edges, this is more a folk/rock album blended with mainstream seventies-style sympho-prog. It’s a varied set, too, taking in everything from Celtic to Arabian influences, and contains several moments of brilliance. GRADE: C+.

Lukas Tower Band (Germany): Live In Concert (Transformer LTBCD05/DVD01, DVDR, 2013)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Angela Maier (lead vocals, percussion), Ursula Wilpert (flute, whistle)
After two solid but unspectacular studio albums, everything comes together for Lukas Tower Band with this excellent live DVD. Visually they’re hardly Pink Floyd, though they have a relaxed and engaging stage presence, but musically this is frequently outstanding: intricate, lively progressive folk/rock with hints of everyone from Pentangle to Trees. GRADE: B–.
Lukas Tower Band (Germany): Age Of Gold (Transformer LTBCD05, CDR, 2018)
Progressive
Angela Maier (lead vocals)
With its William Blake and Christina Rossetti lyrics plus chunky mid-paced prog backing, this marks a return to the style of their debut, though jazzy undertones are notable on a number of songs. It’s a strong album throughout, with some nice folky diversions, but it’s notable that the live bonus track ‘Ilusiones’ is by far the best thing on offer – this is clearly a band that excels on stage. GRADE: C+.

Lumbee (USA): Overdose (Radnor R 2003, with insert, 1970)
Blues/Rock
Carol Fitzgerald (joint lead vocals)
This obscure album is best remembered for its drug-themed lyrics, reflected in both the cover and insert (a board game in which the players aim to score as much dope as possible). Musically, it’s mainstream hippie rock with a bluesy feel in parts and a few interesting moments, but overall it’s fairly unremarkable and generic. The band had previously issued an album on White Whale as Plant & See. GRADE: C.
See also Plant & See

Lumsk (Norway): Åsmund Fraegdegjevar (Tabu 003, CD, 2003)
Folk/Metal/Progressive
Vibeke Arntzen (principal vocals), Siv Lena Waterloo Laugtug (violin)
Heavily influenced by their countrymen Folque and Kong Lavring, Lumsk crossed traditional Norwegian folk styles with heavy metal guitars and progressive structures. More a folk/rock album with metal edges than the reverse, it’s a remarkable piece of work: majestic, powerful, varied and atmospheric, with plenty of darkness and intensity to balance out a few slightly kitsch moments. GRADE: B.
Lumsk (Norway): Troll (Tabu 012, CD, 2005)
Folk/Rock/Metal/Progressive
Stine-Mari Langstrand (joint lead vocals), Siv Lena Waterloo Laugtug (violin)
Their second tones down the metal edges considerably (only on ‘Åsgårdsreia’ is this facet of their sound uppermost). Indeed, several cuts sound like they could directly have been lifted from a mid-period Folque LP. Overall, this is a little less inventive than its predecessor, and the highpoints perhaps aren’t quite as high, but it’s a beautiful, mature and tasteful set that also avoids Åsmund Fraegdegjevar’s occasional weak moments. GRADE: B.
Lumsk (Norway): Det Vilde Kor (Tabu 023, CD, 2007)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Stine-Mari Langstrand (principal vocals), Siv Lena Waterloo Laugtug (violin)
Continuing the direction of travel established with Troll, Det Vilde Kor (based on a collection of poetry by the famous Norwegian writer Knut Hamsun) drops metal influences altogether. Instead, it’s a collection of beautiful, tranquil folk/rock songs, with the emphasis strongly on the folk and quite a few chamber music embellishments. The extended progressive suite ‘Svend Herlufsens Ord’ is particularly impressive, as is the closing ‘Skaergaardsø’, which is pure classical music, but this is an extremely accomplished record throughout. GRADE: B.

Lumsk (Norway): Fremmede Toner (Dark Essence KAR215CD, CD, 2023)
Folk/Rock/Metal/Progressive
Mari Klingen (principal vocals), Siv Lena Laugtug Saether (violin)
Fremmede Toner takes a while to take flight, but when it does it’s frequently quite majestic. Whether it equals previous Lumsk albums is impossible to answer without detailed back-to-back comparisons, but context has a lot to do with my grade – the musical world has changed immeasurably since 2007, when they last released anything, with metal and prog expanding in all kinds of intriguing directions. Thus, whilst their blend of electric folk, symphonic prog and metal is as satisfying as ever, it’s debatable whether it sounds as fresh and startling. GRADE: B–.

Luna Rossa (UK): Sleeping Pills And Lullabies (Firefly Music FFMCD004, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and booklet, 2013)
Singer/Songwriter
Anne-Marie Helder (lead vocals, guitar, bass synthesiser, piano, harp, samples)
This recalls Helder’s solo set more than any of her earlier bands, offering folky singer/songwriter music with a strong neoclassical touch and lots of strings. It’s well-crafted and atmospheric, with some beautiful moments, but also a bit slight and sometimes a touch precious. GRADE: C+.
Luna Rossa (UK): Secrets And Lies (Firefly Music FFMCD007, CD, with gatefold minisleeve and poster booklet, 2014)
Singer/Songwriter
Anne-Marie Helder
Their second album is in the same vein as their first, but is overall a touch more accomplished. It opens strongly with the wordless ‘Aurora’ and the highly effective title track and ‘Disappointment’, which respectively use electric guitar and electric piano to great effect. However, as it progresses the lack of variety becomes more obvious, and the jaunty ‘Happy Little Song’ sadly lives up to its name. GRADE: C+.

Luna Rossa (UK): Atropa (Firefly Music FFMCD010, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2018)
Singer/Songwriter
Anne-Marie Helder (lead vocals, guitar, piano, percussion, whistle, samples)
This may just be their best album – beautifully arranged, recorded and produced, with two effective cover versions, including an acoustic reworking of Abba’s ‘The Winner Takes It All’. But whilst there’s no doubting the duo’s level of craft (or indeed their level of talent) I’m not convinced that this has the truly memorable original songs to lift it from good to great. GRADE: C+.
See also Anne-Marie Helder, Karnataka, Mostly Autumn, Panic Room, Parade

Lunar Dunes (UK): Galaxsea (4Zero FZ009, CD, with gatefold minisleeve, 2011)
Psychedelic
Krupa Pattni (lead vocals, kaoss pad), Julia Thornton (harp)
This collection of Eastern-tinged space-rock jams, some with wordless vocals, is pleasant, mellow and engaging but never particularly fiery or compelling. In fact, this is a definite step down from the band’s 2007 debut From Above, a solid B– but ineligible for review here as it was recorded by an all-male line-up with Krupas Pattni guesting on only one track. GRADE: C+.

Lunatica (Switzerland): Atlantis (No label, CD only, 2001)
Metal/Progressive
Andrea Dätwyler (principal vocals)
This Swiss band’s privately released debut album offers solid symphonic metal with swathes of lush keyboards and some chunky guitar work. But enjoyable as it is, it brings nothing new to an overcrowded genre. GRADE: C+.
Lunatica (Switzerland): Fables And Dreams (Frontiers FR CD 200, CD, with slipcase, Italy, 2004)
Metal/Progressive
Andrea Dätwyler (principal vocals)
Like their first, this is epic orchestrated melodic power metal: accomplished and well-assembled, but not especially distinctive. In fact, the only real surprise is a cover of Ultravox’s ‘Hymn’, which is probably the best thing on here. GRADE: C+.
Lunatica (Switzerland): The Edge Of Infinity (No label 003LUN, CD, 2006)
Metal/Progressive
Andrea Dätwyler (principal vocals)
The slipcase proclaims this is to be ‘a symphonic rock masterpiece!’, but don’t expect anything of the stature of Therion’s Vovin. In fact, don’t expect anything significantly different from their first two LPs. GRADE: C+.
Lunatica (Switzerland): New Shores (Napalm NPR 266, CD, Austria, 2009)
Metal/Progressive
Andrea Dätwyler (principal vocals)
This is probably their best album, thanks to an excellent production, but once again the songwriting isn’t anything really special. Ultimately, that (and a comparative lack of ambition) is probably the biggest difference between them and Nightwish, to whom they’re compared on the cover sticker. GRADE: C+.

Mary Catherine Lunsford (USA): Mary Catherine Lunsford (Polydor 24-4051, 1971)
Singer/Songwriter
Mary Catherine Lunsford (lead vocals, guitar)
Lunsford was obviously a huge fan of Joni Mitchell, as she copied her vocal mannerisms to a tee, and her songwriting style is rather similar. The arrangements are completely different to early Mitchell, however, with full band backing, a few baroque hints here and there, and an occasional slight country tinge. GRADE: C+.
Cathy Lunsford (USA): You Men At The Bar (One Shot OWSB 38, 1975)
Rock
Mary Catherine Lunsford (lead vocals, guitar)
Complete different to her Polydor album, this has more of an urban, barroom rock flavour, as its title suggests. Assuming that it also reflects its title, her third and final album Cowgirl In The Wind (1980) is presumably country/rock, meaning that each of her albums was in a different genre. GRADE: C.

Lupo (West Germany): Sahara (Lupo Lu 111083, 1983)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Beate Kynast (lead vocals)
I expected this to be mainstream rock or prog, but in fact it’s slick, polished, rather good jazz-fusion, not dissimilar to Ruphus’s mid-period albums (whilst also hinting at a less cheesy Shakatak). Beate Kynast also performed with Jens Fischer and Wütrio and surprisingly resurfaced thirteen years later as a member of Ougenweide, singing on their reunion album Sol. GRADE: C+.
See also Jens Fischer, Ougenweide, Wütrio

Lüüp (Greece/Sweden/UK): Distress Signal Code (Muséa FGBG 4674, CD, France, 2008)
Progressive/Folk/Avant-Garde
Lisa Isakkson (principal vocals, guitar, percussion, flute)
The opening ‘Through Your Woods’ is beautiful psychedelic folk that could have been taken from a Lisa & Piu album, but this multinational collective’s set frequently gets much weirder. Band leader Stelios Romaliadis is a flautist, and the songs, instrumentals and improvisations set his delicate playing against David Jackson’s saxophone, against trippy loops and against Mellotron. Weird, minimalist and spacy, it’s almost like a more minimalist side-step from the most ambient parts of Gong’s Shamal, but for the most part doesn’t really resemble anyone in particular. GRADE: B–.
Lüüp (Greece/Sweden/UK/Germany): Meadow Rituals (Experimedia EXPCD015, CD, with oversized foldout sleeve, USA, 2011)
Classical/Folk/Progressive
Andria Degens (occasional vocals), Lisa Isaksson (occasional vocals, flute, harp, balalaika)
Somewhat different from their first, this tones down the weirder edges for a much more classical sound. Haunting, beautiful and eerie, it’s a remarkable album that fringes new age, yet always holds the attention despite its minimalism. GRADE: B–.
Lüüp (Greece): Canticles Of The Holy Scythe (I, Voidhanger IVR088, CD, with slipcase, Italy, 2017)
Classical/Progressive/Metal
Anna Linardou (joint lead vocals), Sofia Sarra (joint lead vocals), Xenia Rodotheatou (occasional vocals)
Recorded with a different set of collaborators, this is completely unrecognisable as the work of the outfit that cut Distress Signal Code and Meadow Rituals. The obvious reference point here is Elend, with the same neoclassical backing, combination of anguished and angelic vocals, and occult lyrics. I can also hear touches of Dead Can Dance, with some gothic mediaeval and world music edges, adding up to a sumptuous musical blend. The artwork – including lots of Hieronymous Bosch paintings, as one might imagine, is beautiful to boot. GRADE: B–.

See also Hashish, Laike, Life On Earth!, Lisa & Piu, Me & My Kites, Promise & The Monster, Vårt Solsystem

Luz Escondida (Italy): Luz Escondida (Mellow MMP 349, CD, 1998)
Progressive
Tonia Quarantiello (lead vocals)
This Italian band’s sole album mixes gentle symphonic ballads with a bit of a stage musical feel alongside relaxed instrumentals with a classical and renaissance (the era) flavour. There are also a few Renaissance (the band) touches, though the music here is a bit simpler, with a procession of short discrete tracks. GRADE: C+.

Lynched (Ireland): Cold Old Fire (No label, CD, with minisleeve and booklet, 2014)
Folk
Radie Peat (occasional vocals, accordion, concertina, whistle)
A friend recommended this to me as the best folk LP he’d heard in years, but to my ears it’s merely solid Irish traditional folk. Eleven years previously, the band had issued a rather different debut LP, Where Do We Go From Here?, with an all-male line-up. This has some elements of punk/folk, angry anarchist lyrics and a few experimental moments, and is rather more varied and interesting. GRADE: C+.

Lyonesse (France/UK/Italy): Lyonesse (PDU Pld A 5093, Italy, 1974)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Mireille Ben (joint lead vocals, dulcimer)
This excellent traditional folk/rock band had an interesting multinational line-up, which on this album included Gérard Lavigne (of La Confrèrie Des Fous and Gentiane), Gérard Lhomme (who collaborated with Malicorne’s Gabriel Yacoub) and Trevor Crozier (who worked with Shirley Collins, performed in Giles Farnaby’s Dream Band and led the dismal Broken Consort). Offering austere Emmanuelle Parrenin-like songs, Fairport or Steeleye-like folk/rock and more symphonic instrumentals (since the group’s multi-instrumentalist leader Pietro Bianchi was – unusually for a folk band – primarily a keyboardist and violinist), the disc features some lovely material and is well worth hearing. GRADE: B–.
Lyonesse (France/Italy/Ireland): Cantique (PDU Pld A 6029, Italy, 1975)
Folk/Progressive
Mireille Ben (principal vocals, dulcimer)
Dropping nearly all the rock elements, the band’s second album was recorded by the trio of Ben, Bianchi and Irish musician Eoin Ó Duignan (on uileann pipes and whistle). Like its predecessor, it alternates instrumentals and songs with a distinctly French feel and rich symphonic edges despite the limited instrumentation. GRADE: B–.
Lyonesse (France/Italy): Tristan De Lyonesse (PDU Pld A 6062, Italy, 1976)
Progressive/Folk/Rock
Mireille Ben (principal vocals)
Album number three is different yet again, with a new line-up including a second keyboardist. The end results are as close to progressive and neoclassical music as to folk, with narrations stiching together a series of ornate instrumentals and a few songs, with most of the material being traditional. GRADE: B–.
Lyonesse (France/Italy): Live In Milan (PDU Pld A 7004, 1979)
Folk
Mireille Ben (joint lead vocals, percussion), Lili Ben (joint lead vocals, percussion, violin, dulcimer)
The band’s fourth and final album, recorded live, is once more completely different. Performed by a mostly French line-up, it features no keyboards whatsoever, relying on traditional acoustic instruments to deliver a doomy Malicorne-like sound. As such, it’s an odd end to their career, and by far their least distinctive album, but very good for what it is. GRADE: C+.

Lyonhill (USA): Lyonhill (Lyonhill 77 x 09, 1977)
Folk/Rock
Jeanie Lyon Scheffler (joint lead vocals)
This enjoyable rural rock album owes an obvious heavy debt to Crosby Stills & Nash, though the production style is much slicker in keeping with the era. String synthesiser features heavily on a number of cuts and a rhythm section is used almost throughout, creating a quite rocking though very mellow sound. This is a fine album throughout, with only the rollicking hoedown ‘Intermission’ letting the side down – at least it’s mercifully short. GRADE: C+.
Lyon (USA): Lyon (Bottom Line Studio SAD 31353 001 LPS33, with insert, 1982?)
Folk/Country
Jeanie Lyon Scheffler (joint lead vocals, percussion)
This much rarer and lesser-known second album is mainly a vehicle for singer/songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Jeremy Lyon. The arrangements are far more stripped-down than on its predecessor, with a mostly acoustic sound, but once again they take the bulk of their cues from CSN. The acapalla ‘Bring Back The Band’ (a virtual note-for-note rewrite of Prelude’s arrangement of ‘After The Goldrush’) is reprised from the Lyonhill LP. GRADE: C+.

Lyons (USA): Introducing The Lyons (Rose STLP-100, 1982)
Rock
Cheryl Cousins (occasional vocals), Beth Donovant (backing vocals), Tamara Hairston (backing vocals)
This unassuming guitar rock album ranges from hard rock with slight prog tinges (good) to softer AOR (not so good). Overall it’s a listenable set, but also rather generic. GRADE: C.

Lysistrara (West Germany): Lysistrara (No label LY 08/15, 1979)
Rock/Progressive
Marianne Langfeld (joint lead vocals), Barbara Bauermeister (joint lead vocals, guitar), Christa Meyer (joint lead vocals, drums), Rita Eichelkraut (guitar), Christiane Oumard (bass), Sylvia Kipp (keyboards), Ulrike Sundermann (saxophone, flute)
The appropriately titled new wave-ish ‘Oma Punk’ is rather underwhelming, but for the most part this feminist lesbian band manages a fine album of prog-tinged rock with some excellent guitar work. In any case, the best cuts are the proggiest: the opening ‘Ich Kann Es Nicht Mehr Hören’ and the lengthy, complex ‘Fortschritt’. GRADE: C+.
See also Witch Is Witch