L-Lam | richardfalksreviews

L-Lan

L’Empire Des Sons (France): L’Empire Des Sons (No label 356257, 1986?)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Bip Redon (joint lead vocals), Isabelle Lentin (keyboards, accordion, xylophone), Valérie Gonzalez (keyboards), Nadine Leroy (keyboards),

Françoise Basset (cello)
Composed entirely of short tracks, this enjoyable album mainly offers weird but melodic songs rooted in jazz but with pronounced pop, folk and chanson edges. Side two is considerably stranger than side one, and the album becomes steadily more experimental and dissonant as it progresses. Despite the keyboard-heavy line-up, percussion is actually the dominant instrument on most tracks, with some notable world music elements. In some ways, this is a surprising release, given members’ backgrounds in outfits like La Fille Qui Mousse and Les I, but it’s a very pleasant one nonetheless. GRADE: C+.
L’Empire Des Sons (France): Le Saucisson De Mer (Muséa Parallèle MP 3006.AR, CD, 1990)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive/Avant-Garde
Bip Redon (joint lead vocals), Isabelle Lentin (joint lead vocals, keyboards, concertina, drums, vibraphone), Christiane Cohade (bass)
Their second and final album, recorded with a smaller line-up, is similar to their first but a little more dynamic. With a good balance of catchy hooks and avant-garde developments, this is a fine LP that often takes them close to Henry Cow or Slapp Happy in style. GRADE: B–.
See also Christiane Maria Cohade, La Fille Qui Mousse, Les I, Virgule 4

La Horsa Bianca (Ukraine): Somatic Schematic (No label, download, 2018)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Olga Ksendzovska (occasional vocals, keyboards, trombone)
This is perhaps a bit slight for a B–, both in terms of its length (33 minutes) and musical content. But La Horsa Bianca – whilst drawing from everyone and everything – ultimately don’t sound like anyone else, which makes them unusual among modern prog bands. Mainly instrumental, their trippy music ranges from straight early seventies-style jamming to pure experimentalism, with plenty of symphonic keyboards along the way and some evocative riffs and melodies. As such, it’s a low-key delight, and this album definitely leaves you wanting more. GRADE: B–.
La Horsa Bianca (Ukraine): Oneiric Numeric (No label, download, 2019)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Olga Ksendzovska (keyboards)
This is only slightly longer than their debut, at 37 minutes, but it’s a significant step forward musically. Entirely instrumental, Oneiric Numeric offers entirely instrumental keyboard-led prog of a superb standard and is packed with great moments. One could argue that it’s less unusual than their first, but it more than makes up for it with its sheer confidence – and once again, another 20 minutes or so would have been extremely welcome. GRADE: B–.
La Horsa Bianca (Ukraine): Oneiric Numeric (No label, download, 2019)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Olga Ksendzovska (keyboards, trombone)
At 42 minutes, this is their longest release to date – and possibly their best too. Opening with a quirky song drawing on local musical styles, it offers four instrumentals that are by turns dynamic, whimsical, folky and richly symphonic. The album ends with a haunting ballad that adds another dimension to the band’s unusual, virtuosic and highly impressive music. GRADE: B–.

La Horsa Bianca (Ukraine): Welcome Back My Friends… The Show Is Cancelled (No label, download, 2021)
Progressive
Olga Ksendzovska (synthesiser)
Previous Horsa Bianca releases were rather impressive, so what of this oddity – two attempts at a jam they intended to use as a set-opener for shows that got cancelled due to Covid? Well, it’s certainly very different from the structured material they’ve released thus far but enjoyable enough on its own terms, though it would probably have worked better in its originally intended context. GRADE: C+.

La Morte Viene Dallio Spazio (Italy): Trivial Visions (Svart SVART257CD, CD, with gatefold minisleeve, Finland, 2021)
Progressive/Psychedelic
Melissa Crema (joint lead vocals, keyboards, theremin), Camilla Chessa (bass)
This offshoot of Giöbia also plays space-rock, as its name implies, but of a slightly different hue. This is more overtly Hawkwind-influenced than the parent band, with lots of electronics thrown into the mix, and a focus (if that is the right word!) on jamming rather than songs. There was also an earlier album Sky Over Giza that was effectively a Stefano Basurto solo project, with Melissa Crema making minor contributions to a couple of tracks. GRADE: B–.
See also Giöbia

La Revolución De Emiliano Zapata (Mexico): Tema De La Pelicula La Verdadera Vocacion De Magdalena (Polydor 2389 028, 1972)
Garage/Psychedelic
Pati McLean (occasional vocals)
Also known as Hoy, this was the long-running Mexican band’s second album, and as far as I know the only one to feature female vocals (uncredited, though Pati McLean was apparently a full member). Musically it’s a nice mixture of jamming garage psych and occasional acoustic folk, displaying a strong Big Brother & The Holding Company influence. GRADE: B–.

La Roche (Canada): La Roche (Emprise EP-0010, with inner, 1981)
Rock/Metal/New Wave/Progressive
Pierrette La Roche (joint lead vocals, piano, percussion)
This Quebecois family band produced an album that is almost unclassifiable. Several cuts are excellent hard rock, with catchy riffs and choruses, a couple are new wave with a satirical feel, there are a couple of sensual ballads (including the very Véronique Sanson-like ‘Votre Personne’), and the album ends with a loungy, jazzy, proggy instrumental. Along the way, they work in influences from everything from pop to funk and AOR; the only constant is the very French feel and the very high standard of songwriting and musicianship. GRADE: C+.

La YNE (Finland): La Grande Illusion (Muséa Parallèle MP 3287, CD, France, 2014)
Jazz/Rock/Progressive
Kari Reini (joint lead vocals, percussion, didgeridoo)
I was expecting this to sound like their countrymen Piirpauke, and in a way it does – though it steps forward from their sound into a much more commercial blend of jazz, world music and rock elements. Trawling through different musical styles around the globe and serving it up with a glossy pop sheen, the band creates a pleasant album that never pushes any boundaries. GRADE: C+.

Lac Placide (France): Away (No label, CD, 2003)
Progressive
Sa Majesté Roy (joint lead vocals)
This unusual and adventurous album blends hard rock, progressive and ambient elements into a constantly surprising suite of music, culminating in an odd, fragmented 17-minute piece blending influences from both new age and psychedelia. On the downside, both the playing and singing can be amateurish at times, but for some listeners that may be part of its charm. GRADE: B–.
Lac Placide (France): Closer (No label, CD, 2006)
Progressive
Sa Majesté Roy (joint lead vocals)
Their second is a bit simpler than its predecessor, moving closer to a hybrid of hard rock and prog-metal, with some knotty riffs. Once again, the feel is a little sloppy, especially in the vocal department; this time round, it’s quite noticeable how Roy’s vocals often resemble Dagmar Krause, of all people. GRADE: C+.

Lacewing (USA): Lacewing (Mainstream S/6132, 1971)
Folk/Rock/Progressive
Mary Stepka (lead vocals)
In no way psychedelic, although usually described as such, this obscurity in fact blends melodic folk/rock and baroque progressive. With a slick and polished sound, it also hints at the sort of soft rock that would bring bands like Fleetwood Mac superstardom in the mid-seventies, though the second side has longer, heavier and more complex tracks. Opinions differ as to the LP’s merits, but I love it and regard it as the best release on the Mainstream label. GRADE: B.

Lady June (UK): Lady June’s Linguistic Leprosy (Caroline C 1509, 1974)
Avant-Garde
June Campbell-Cramer (lead vocals)
This fun album from Daevid Allen and Gilli Smyth’s former landlady has quite a bit in common with Smyth’s eighties work, setting half-spoken, half-sung poems against quirky, mildly avant-garde electronic and rock backing. Thanks to the Gong connection, the cast of musicians is pretty stellar too, including Kevin Ayers, Brian Eno, Pip Pyle and David Voorhaus. GRADE: C+.

Lady June (UK): Lady June (No label, cassette, 1982?)

Folk/Rock

June Campbell-Cramer (lead vocals)

With Mother Gong’s Harry Williamson producing and providing much of the accompaniment, this three-track EP reminds me of both Mother Gong and the more melodic end of the Poison Girls (mainly due to Campbell-Cramer’s resemblance to Vi Subversa when she sings rather than speaks). As such, this is a nice little curio but at nine minutes isn’t what you’d call a substantial artistic statement. GRADE: C+.

Lady June (UK): Bananas (Street Copys, cassette, 1985?)

Folk/Rock

June Campbell-Cramer (lead vocals)

Another odd little EP (this one comprising four songs and one spoken-word piece totalling 12 minutes) offers a fairly high level of variety, with guitarist Gerry Fitzgerald’s accompaniments ranging from folk to avant-gardism. Once again, it’s a charming addendum to Lady June;s Linguistic Leprosy, but utterly inconsequential at the same time. GRADE: C+.

Lady June (UK): Live At The Residencia Hotel (Counter Culture Chronicles 92, cassette, with insert, Holland, 2021, recorded 1992)
Spoken Word/Folk
June Campbell-Cramer (lead vocals)
To describe the recording of this single-sided cassette as primitive would be an understatement: everything is in glorious mono and all packed into the left-hand stereo channel as a bonus. Mixing poetry readings with occasionally folky interludes on acoustic guitar, synthesiser and pipes, the set isn’t particularly compelling, though Campbell-Cramer’s good humour always shows through. Nonetheless, it’s a nice addition to her slender discography and very well packaged to boot. Incidentially, the same label released I’ve Never Been To Canterbury (Counter Culture Chronicles 91, 2021, recorded 1991), comprising an interesting interview (also very poorly recorded) about Campbell-Cramer’s career and ending with demos for a couple of unreleased songs. GRADE: C.
Lady June (UK): Lady June’s Hit And Myth (GAS AGASCD 10, CD, 1996)
Avant-Garde
June Campbell-Cramer (lead vocals)
The guest cast isn’t as impressive as on her first, though Gilli Smyth, Harry Williamson and Gerry Fitzgerald all put in appearances. Musically, it’s fairly similar, with a slightly more conventional and folky bent, making for another nice and unpretentious record. GRADE: C+.

Kevin Ayers, Lady June & Ollie Halsall (UK): The Happening Combo (Market Square MSMCD193, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2017, recorded 1980-2006)
Folk/Rock
June Campbell-Cramer
Ignore the misleading title, which implies that this is a collaborative effort – the connection between Ayers, Campbell-Cramer and Halsall is that Marvin Siau, who compiled the set, was friends with all of them. Instead, this compiles four 1980 demos from Ayers, three Halsall demo from 1988 (intended for Ayers’s 1992 set Still Life With Guitar), four outtakes from Hit And Myth (two of which were overdubbed in 2006) and one song by Siau himself. The Ayers material is catchy electric rock, the Halsall stuff is pleasant acoustic folk/rock, Campbell-Cramer offers some charming whimsy, and Siau’s number is nice mellow rock. The whole thing adds up to an enjoyable, inconsequential, perhaps mildly cynical tribute to the three principal musicians. GRADE: C+.
See also Various 'An Odd Acts Event'

Yves Laferrièrre (Canada): Yves Laferrièrre (Le Tamanoir TAM 24074, 1978)
Progressive
Marie-Michèle Des Rosiers (joint lead vocals), Monique Fauteux (joint lead vocals), Paule Baillargeon (joint lead vocals)
The former Contraction bassist’s solo album sounds very much like his previous band, offering mellow, jazz-tinged sounds with wordless female vocals on some tracks (plus several instrumentals and a couple of actual songs). To call this great background music might seem like damning it with faint praise, but that was largely its intention: Laferrièrre saw it as a stepping stone into composing film soundtracks. With some lovely, unassuming, typically Canadian grooves, this is well worth a listen. GRADE: C+.
See also Beau Dommage, Neil Chotem, Contraction

David LaFlamme Band (USA): Beyond Dreams (Repertoire REP 5018, CD, Germany, 2003)
Rock/Progressive
Linda Baker LaFlamme (joint lead vocals)
Perhaps not entirely surprisingly, the cover design is a pastiche of that used for the first It’s A Beautiful Day LP, while three tracks (‘Bombay Calling’, ‘Girl With No Eyes’ and the inevitable ‘White Bird’) are re-recordings of material from that album. None is as good as the original, and the new songs – ranging from country/rock to hard rock and prog – are mostly solid rather than great. Nonetheless, the closing instrumental ‘Santa Cruz’ is excellent, and overall this is decidedly better than most of It’s A Beautiful Day’s output. As a footnote, Linda Baker LaFlamme is not the same person as Linda LaFlamme, who was a founding member of It’s A Beautiful Day. GRADE: C+.

Lagartija (Italy): Ricordi? (No label, CD, 2009)
Progressive/Jazz/Rock
Sara Aliani (lead vocals)
Gentle and melodic, yet also subtly discordant and experimental, this is a very effective album of jazzy progressive. With saxophone and keyboards well to the fore, the eight compositions create slightly eerie moods with some strong instrumental passages. Yet despite the consistently high calibre of the music and the quite outstanding closing cut ‘Lacrime Inconcluse’, the actual compositions do not really stick in the mind. GRADE: C+.
Lagartija (Italy): Particelle (Lizard CD 0079, CD, 2011)
Progressive
Sara Aliani (principal vocals, bass)
Very different from its predecessor, this is atmospheric mid-paced prog with psychedelic edges, a rather doomy feel and some folk and free jazz edges (although it definitely isn’t jazz/rock like their first). Concentrating mainly on texture and atmosphere, and hinting towards other modern prog bands like Paatos, this isn’t the most striking or memorable of records, but it’s commendably understated and superbly crafted. GRADE: B–.

Laike (Sweden): Fängen I Det Senaste (Monterey DM 004 LP, with inner, Spain, 2014)
Pop/Folk/Psychedelic
Lisa Isaksson (organ, handclaps, violin, flute, harp, saw, backing vocals), Karin Engqvist (organ, backing vocals)
Laike was the brainchild of singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Christofer Ståhle; with most of the Vårt Solsystem crew providing the backing, his album has a lovely, trippy mood. However, despite the effusive sleevenotes, describing it as a seventies-style Canterbury masterpiece, it’s all fairly slight, with the pop elements predominating. GRADE: C+.

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

Laine & Alan (UK): On An Autumn Day… (Coldstream CRS 426, 1982)
Folk
Laine Nunn (lead vocals, guitar, autoharp)
This unassuming LP, by a husband-and-wife duo who never recorded again, is among the finest British traditional folk LPs, beating almost all the big-ticket items on Folk Heritage, Midas and Westwood hands down. Laine Nunn’s vocals are simply exquisite, as are the delicate acoustic arrangements embracing guitar, harmonium, mandolin, violin, flute and autoharp, and the traditional material is performed with exceptional restraint. In fact, this equals (and sometimes resembles) the peerless Folkal Point, but at about a fiftieth of the price. GRADE: B.

Shona Laing (New Zealand): Whispering Afraid (Vertigo 6390 901, 1973)
Singer/Songwriter
Shona Laing (lead vocals, guitar)
It might be unfair to describe Shona Laing as a ‘teenage poor man’s Carole King’, but it wouldn’t be particularly inaccurate. But whilst she wears her influences on her sleeve, she has a good voice and solid songwriting chops, and this is a pleasingly varied LP, with accompaniment ranging from solo piano to soft rock, strings, Hammond organ and even some Moog synthesiser. Anyone who likes seventies singer/songwriter music should thoroughly enjoy this. GRADE: C+.
Shona Laing (New Zealand): Shooting Stars Are Only Seen At Night (Philips 6334 012, with booklet, 1974)
Singer/Songwriter
Shona Laing (lead vocals, guitar)
Her second album is in a very similar style to her first, although perhaps a little more rocking, with some quite heavy fuzz guitar on a couple of cuts. This is a lavishly packaged LP, with both a gatefold sleeve and a foldout lyric insert. Surprisingly, given that she enjoyed considerable commercial success in New Zealand, Laing subsequently relocated to the UK and did not release any more records until the eighties. GRADE: C+.

Lake Superior State College (USA): What’s UP? (Conductorflex DR 8395, with booklet, 1971)
Rock
Shirley M Andrews, Jo Anne Baugh, Yvonne Bednarz, Linda Cadeau, Candace DeMolen, Hélène Dul, Carolin King, Kathleen M Kinney, Gail Kirkendall, Patricia Petkus, Marjorie Schmidt, Marilyn Shananaquet, Christine Steck, Mary L Tadgerson, Carol Walkiewicz, Patty McCoy, Linda Verette
This college project album is well above average from a musical standpoint, with stripped-down, jamming rock backing including acidic guitar and plenty of organ. The spoken and sung vocals are more par for the course, and pretty amateurish, but this is a solid album with plenty of charm and some nice garage edges. GRADE: C+.

Lal Meri (USA): Lal Meri (Six Degrees 657036 1156-2, CD, with digipak, 2009)
Pop/Jazz/Dance/Psychedelic
Nancy Kaye (lead vocals)
Fronted by progressive rock veteran Nancy Kaye, Lal Meri offer a thoroughly modern trip-hop sound with lots of jazz, world music and psychedelic references. The results are interesting and creative, though there’s not much here for rock purists. GRADE: C+.
See also Box Of Crayons, Harlequin Mass, Talamasca, Various ‘Beyond Rock’

Lalli (Italy): Tempo Di Vento (Il Manifesto CD 034, CD, 1998)
Singer/Songwriter
Marinella Ollino (lead vocals)
The solo debt of Marinella ‘Lalli’ Ollino (formerly of Environs, Franti, Howth Castle, Ishi. Orsi Lucille and Yuan Ye) is completely different from any of her earlier work. This is sophisticated singer/songwriter music with well-judged rock backing, including some quite heavy moments, providing an excellent showcase for her smoky voice. GRADE: C+.

Lalli (Italy): All’Improvviso, Nella Mia Stanza (Il Manifesto cd105, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2003)
Singer/Songwriter
Marinella Ollino (lead vocals)
Like its predecessor, this is sophisticated singer/songwriter music, with beautifully judged full band arrangements and effective use of a chamber orchestra. When one considers Ollino’s beginnings in a punk band and her wanderings through acid-folk, jazz and avant-garde music it becomes clear just how remarkable her career really was. GRADE: C+.

Lalli, Pietro Salizzoni & Èlia (Italy): Èlia (Il Manifesto, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2006)
Singer/Songwriter
Marinella Ollino (lead vocals)
Ollino’s new project doesn’t significantly alter her musical direction: this is sophisticated music drawing on chanson, jazz and (to a lesser extent) classic rock traditions, complete with chamber orchestra accompaniment. It may be a little too smooth for some ears, but there is no denying the exquisite quality of the singing, writing or arrangements. GRADE: C+.

Lalli, Pietro Salizzoni & Èlia (Italy): In Concerto (Felmay fy 7038, CD, with digipak and booklet, 2012)
Singer/Songwriter
Marinella Ollino (lead vocals)
This live album offers the same beautifully crafted, sensual ballads as their studio album, with a chamber orchestra again used to fine effect. Those who enjoy sophisticated, relaxed and consummately smooth sounds will find plenty to enjoy here. GRADE: C+.

See also Environs, Franti, Howth Castle, Ishi, Orsi Lucille, Yuan Ye

Lamb (USA): A Sign Of Change (Fillmore F 30003, 1970)
Folk/Rock
Barbara Mauritz (lead vocals, guitar, piano, tambourine)
The trippy cover makes this look like psychedelia, but it’s nothing of the kind. Instead, it’s jazzy and bluesy folk with dark, sombre moods, with most cuts based around acoustic guitar, double bass and sometimes a chamber orchestra. Occasionally it puts me in mind of Nico – although it’s nowhere near as avant-garde, most of the songs are very atmospheric and original. GRADE: C+.
Lamb (USA): Cross Between (Warner Brothers WS 1920, 1971)
Folk/Country/Rock
Barbara Mauritz
Opener ‘Flying’ is country/rock, but the second cut ‘Now’s Not The Time’ is ethnic acid-folk, the title track singer/songwriter fare, and ‘Sleepwalkers’ returns to the eerie folk/rock of their debut. The remaining cuts vary between these styles, even throwing in some mediaeval elements on ‘While Waiting’. Overall this is not as coherent or distinctive as its predecessor, but it still contains some fine material.

GRADE: C+.
Barbara Mauritz & Lamb (USA): Bring Out The Sun (Warner Brothers WB 1952, 1971)
Rock
Barbara Mauritz (lead vocals, guitar, piano)
The opening gospel rocker ‘Old Fashioned Remedy’ does nothing for me, but things quickly improve with the beautiful piano solo ‘The Wish’. Several rather ordinary countryish and bluesy rockers follow, broken only by the lovely ‘River Boulevard’, but the album ends with a haunting classical-tinged ballad (‘The Vine’) and a rather avant-garde Eastern acid-folker (‘Live To Your Heart’). Ultimately, this album makes one wonder two things: who they thought would want to buy a record covering so much territory, and why they didn’t play to their strengths and drop the uptempo rock influences altogether. GRADE: C+.