La Casa Azul - "El Sonido Efervescente De" cd  (Elefant)
Originally released in 2000, the debut EP from La Casa Azul caused quite a stir in Spain, and among Spanish pop fans around the world, who delighted in the band's perfect blend of sunshine and electropop that sounds like the Pet Shop Boys joining the Archies on a warm Ibizan beach. La Casa Azul (who may be an actual band, or may all be the brainchild of Guille Milkyway, depending on which history you believe) may go a little over the top with the sheer joy they exude sometimes, but the music is so infectious and fun that you can't help but smile and have fun. Although the original EP only went out of print not too long ago, Elefant has decided to give it a deluxe reissue, complete with an additional 15(!) tracks, consisting mostly of a few demo sessions leading up to the debut, and ending with a few extra songs recorded in the time afterwards. I've actually heard a few of these demos before (thanks to the magic of filesharing), and I can tell you that compiling all of them together on a proper disc is a very good thing - especially for the extra songs that never made it on to the record (while the early versions of the songs that did really aren't all that different; just a bit less produced). The lyrics are all in Spanish, but have been printed so you can still try to sing along (there are a few songs that I already knew pieces of just from listening to the original record so much!). Any fan of sunny Spanish pop should already have this, but in case you were curious about the scene there, this is a great place to start!   MTQ=19/23

La Musique Populaire - "Love Conquers Alda" cd  (Polyholiday)
This is about the least indiepop indiepop record I can think of. I mean the music draws influences from 60s bubblegum, 80s pop and 70s pop culture, from the Archies to later Squeeze to Sesame Street. Imagine if the Free Design played electropop, and you'd be very close. But despite the mainstream qualities, the presentation is decidedly indiepop, relying on synthesizers and casios. This is bedroom pop, but if the bedroom was in the basement of the Brill Building. The chorus to "Ding Dong", for example, is sing-along gibberish ("cling, clong", "bling blong", etc); but the fact that the song bears a close resemblance to Red Dwarf's "Tongue Tied" makes me laugh whenever I hear it. There are some terrific songs on here, with my favorites including "Honey Honey Honey Honey" (one of the few songs on the album to use live drums) and the orchestral "May 25th". Towards the end of the record are a couple longer and more droney tracks that I wasn't too into. Still, this is a fun listen, and I'd be interested to dig into this band's deep back catalog.   MTQ=9/12

The Lackloves - "Cathedral Square Park" cd  (Rainbow Quartz)
Rainbow Quartz is one of the best (I'd even say the best) power pop labels around, and here's yet another fine record in their discography. The Lackloves have been around for quite a while (with roots in the Blow Pops, as well), and this fourth record of theirs finds them continuing to play jangly power pop in the vein of the traditional classics (namely the Who and the Beatles, and to a lesser extent, the Beach Boys) peppered with subtle hints of psychedelia now and again. There are a number of inspired moments, including "Marlena", "Hallmark Stars (Take A Seat)" and the album's opener, "On My Way", but there are also a couple places where things seem a bit too by the numbers, such as the main riff of "Another Kind Of Girl" (although I would actually put the song's bridge in the former inspired category). A great record for the upcoming summer!   MTQ=8/10

Lake - "Oh, The Places We'll Go" cd  (K)
Oh, Lake, I do love you so. When I see you play, your music is a thing of beauty and your live shows range from merely amazing to simply transcendent. My only wish is that your records were as magical as your live sets. Yes, you do give us some of your best work yet on this album, with perfect pop songs like "Heaven" (easily one of my favorite songs of last year), "Blue Ocean Blue" and the welcoming title track that opens the record (as well as its coda at the end of the record, which sends us off with a hug and a wave); but you also give us pieces like "On The Swing" and "Minor Trip", which bring both the mood and the record down. However, I do like how you threw in the slightly noisier "Counting" to mix things up a little. And the sleeve art looks like it was as much fun to make as the record was. But it's still just a good record (albeit with great songs) instead of a great record. No matter what, though, I'll always stick by you, Lake...   MTQ=7/10

Lake Holiday - "Send Off The Summer" cdep  (My Mean Magpie)
This is the second brief release from Brad Oval-Teen's new band (the first being the split 7" with Poison Control Center). The title track is an excellent Teenage Fanclub/Byrds-ish number with an excellent chorus and melody. It's followed by the equally wonderful and jangly "Shrewsbury Girl", and then the slow and haunting instrumental, "Wonder What That Light Is?". "Daylight Faders" ends the ep on an acoustic note. Let's hope that this 3" cdep is a taster of what's to come, and I hope that whatever it is, comes very soon!   MTQ=4/4

Lake Holiday - "The Curse Of Sunshine" cd  (Debris)
As you may already know, Lake Holiday is the new project of Brad from Oval-Teen (a top-notch songwriter in my book), and I think this may actually be his best release yet! At least it's his best sounding to date, thanks to the excellent recording quality. Like his previous recordings, his love of bands like Teenage Fanclub and the Byrds shines through in these six songs. The songwriting is much more mature than his Oval-Teen days, with a fair amount of country seeping through in songs like "Helen" and "Don't Stay Forever", while even his upbeat songs like "In Whispers" and the vaguely Ciao Bella-ish "On My Mind" also show improvement. Okay, I miss the sunny harmonies of his older songs, but the sound here is certainly no disappointment. In fact, the only disappointment I had with this is that it was only an EP, but I hear that the full length should be surfacing soon (finally!), so I'll try to be patient a bit longer!   MTQ=6/6

Lake Holiday / Poison Control Center - "split" 7"  (Bi-fi)
I actually heard the Poison Control Center last year, but didn't really like them at all. They were a lot like the weirder Of Montreal bits and the Music Tapes - hyperactive nonsense. Well, they're still hyperactive on this single (four songs in under six minutes!), but they're a lot more tuneful and focused, which means I like 'em a lot better. Too bad there's a little too much psychedelic influence going on on that side. On the other side, we've got Lake Holiday, which is the new project of Brad Davis of Oval-Teen! I'm quite excited to hear new material from him (when's that double cd finally going to surface, eh?), and this does not disappoint. And as if the red vinyl 7" wasn't enough, there's also great artwork inside and out, drawn by the awesome Missy Kulik!   MTQ=5/6

Lame Drivers - "The Captain Amazing EP" cd  (75 Or Less)
I know what you might be thinking - ten songs goes a bit beyond the definition of EP! Well, this is actually two EPs on a single disc; the first five tracks is a reissue of their self-released debut from 2004 that never reached more than a few people through homemade cd-rs, while the latter half of this disc is comprised of scattered songs recorded over the last couple years. In their best moments, they sound like a young Replacements or Guided By Voices (with some of the later songs even reminding me a bit of the Exploding Hearts), but then they'll include a song like "Gods Of Thunder And Lightning STRIKE!!!", which is basically the band joking around with instrumental metal in their garage for a few minutes. The first five songs were recorded in their basement, while the second five sound more like they came from a studio, but the songwriting is fairly consistent even if the fidelity isn't. This release is limited as well, so don't miss out again!   MTQ=7/10

Lamexcuse - "All Important Little Things" cd  (no label)
Can't think of too many Austrian bands that have crossed my path before, but that's where this band hails from, and here we have their debut album, after a handful of singles (the A-sides of which are included here). Musically, the band reminds me of a cross between the Shins and David & The Citizens' calmer moments, with a healthy helping of R.E.M., as well. At base, the songs have a folky feel, mostly due to the exclusive use of acoustic guitars. During the slower songs, like "Perfect Night", their sound can be a bit overbearing, but during the catchier songs, like "Are You", "Two Windows", "Here 'Til Eight" and "New Room", it gives them a cleaner and lighter feel, which is also occasionally brightened up with keyboard lines. This is a good start for the band, and I hope to hear more from them again soon.   MTQ=8/11

The Lampshades - "Are Alright" cd  (Soapbar)
I don't know anything about these guys from central Pennsylvania, but judging from the playful artwork and a number of the songs on this record, I would bet that they're probably silly fellows. Many of their songs fall on the lighter side of pop, with a noticeable psych-pop influence that reminds me more of the bands from their own region (particularly the Cusacks and its descendent bands in Ohio) than those of the Elephant 6 scene. Songs like "Best That I Can", "Mad Father's Got A Gun" and "Yenlo" are tons of fun, while the sha la las in "My Boyfriend's Band" even elicited a chuckle the first time I heard it. But then they'll have heavier, almost Weezer-ish tunes like "City Lights" and "Scotland", as well as "Point Of No Return" and "The Greatest Victim", both of which effectively combine the two elements equally. Though the album isn't very consistent (a couple of their louder moments, like "I'm So Different" and "Business Card" didn't quite work for me), there's definitely enough on here to merit multiple listenings, and I hope to hear more from them again!   MTQ=10/14

Land Of Ill Earthquakes - "Lines" cs  (PopMonster)
I don't really know much about this band, as there's hardly any information contained in the tape's liner notes, but I do know that they're a fun pop group from southern California. The sound on this tape is quite lo-fi, but what the songs lack in recording quality they more than make up for in terms of songwriting. The closest comparison I can hear is with the Aislers Set, whose influence can be heard in every song from the songwriting style ("Long Winter" would've fit seamlessly on "Terrible Things Happen") to the singer's voice (she's a dead-ringer for Amy Linton in several places), but I can also hear a little Pipas in there, too. If the fifteen minutes of delightfully catchy pop wasn't enough, Pop Monster packaged the cassette in an attractive book-styled cover, complete with pages for the lyrics! This band has recently signed to Elefant Records, so I expect to hear more from them soon!   MTQ=6/6

Land Of Ill Earthquakes - "Heartbreak Bombadier" cd  (no label)
This is the band's third or fourth release (depending on whether or not you count their limited tour cd-r), and it's their best work to date! Though it contains one song from each of the three afore-mentioned discs (same recordings, even), the songs sound much better and flow more consistently than on their prior releases, where the fidelity could vary wildly. Their earlier recordings suggested a somewhat fanatical devotion to the Aislers Set, and though you can still hear elements of Amy Linton running through these songs, the band I'm reminded most of now is the Besties ("Don't Pose For The Picture", "Off To The Races" and the title track all could've appeared on that band's final album without sounding one bit out of place). Both bands share the same dual-female lead vocal style, as well as the way they arrange the songs, with more focus on the keyboards than guitar, and almost including an upbeat and catchy-as-hell chorus! The band self-released this disc, but for those who'd like a cassette version, you can pick one up on the Bridgetown label.   MTQ=8/8

Language Of Flowers - "Songs About You" cd  (Shelflife)
Oh, man! Leave it to Shelflife to find amazing new bands writing songs that harken back to the "good old days" of indiepop (yes, I know there are those who disagree with the concept that indiepop peaked in the late 80s/early 90s, but I firmly believe it did) - first we got the Flatmates/Talulah Gosh-inspired Frenchmen, and now we have Language Of Flowers, who owe much of their sound to Heavenly and the Primitives! Hailing from Ireland, this is the debut album from this quintet. The music is upbeat and jangly, of course, with quite a bit of chorus on the guitars (hence the Primitives comparison), and lead singer Tara's voice is a dead ringer for Ameila Fletcher sometimes! The songs are really good, but I do have one minor complaint (and not an uncommon one): a few of the songs here run a little too long, which just doesn't work for the more upbeat songs like "Tara Mascara", while the slower songs like "Summer's Been And Gone" and the haunting, synth-heavy "Christmas" seem to drag quite a bit because of their length. Despite that minor flaw, this is a fine debut!   MTQ=10/12

Lardpony - "The Greatest Invention Ever" cd  (Cowboy Democracy)
Damn - this is one of the best surprises I've heard in a while! I didn't quite know what to expect from them (but I bet it wasn't very positive), but I do recall thinking that they sounded way better than any band called Lardpony should sound... This is their second album on their own Cowboy Democracy cd-r label, and the band either sounds like a more-straightforward Bearsuit or a more-manic Pulp, depending on how you look at them. The guitars are generally distortion-free (with some louder exceptions) and the bass has some interesting parts, but the heart of the band lies in the jaunty keyboard lines that give the music a fun and light-hearted feel that matches the lyrics (with songs about teenwolves, the love of math and the uselessness of television) well. Most of the songs are in the 2-3 minute range, but a couple go over the four minute mark, though only one ("The Gog") suffers as a result. Be sure to check these guys out!   MTQ=10/11

The Lassie Foundation / Duraluxe - "split" cd  (Shogun/Grand Theft Autumn)
Here's a split cd, oddly titled "I Duel Sioux And The Ale Of Saturn", but I didn't know what that was all about, so I'll just call it the Lassie Foundation/Duraluxe split cd. Six songs from each band, both similar in style and delivery: shoegazy pop, with the Lassie Foundation coming from the Creation Records style and Duraluxe sounding more like the Flaming Lips. Not being a big fan of shoegazer-type music, I actually kind of like most of the songs here. The Lassie Foundation, with their wonderful Brian Wilson-inspired harmonies and Moose-like layered sound, comes out on top, but Duraluxe are quite enjoyable, as well. And most importantly, most of the songs are a decent length!   MTQ=10/12

The Lassie Foundation - "The El Dorado LP" cd  (Anisette)
Most recent release from this Los Angeles band, and to be honest, this is the first one that has really caught my attention. I liked their last split cd with Duraluxe, and the "El Rey" ep before that was okay, but this record is just wonderful! It starts off a little slow with a nice subdued song, but then from there it just builds up, with great guitar melodies and brilliant vocal harmonies. It's the third song, "You Can't Deny A Broken Heart", that really bowled me over. I mean, I was already completely in love with the song when I first heard it, but when the 12-string came in right in the middle, it was heavenly! Much of the first half of the record is very Teenage Fanclub/Pearlfishers-esque. Around the middle of the record, though, the songs start to vary more. Most are still good, but not really as good as the first half. A couple ("The Battle Of Vernon" & "City Of Industry") have louder guitars and noisy bits; "Powersurge" is more electro-poppy; and "Brand New Beat" is very hushed, with only a lightly strummed electric, soft drum machine and a quiet Rhodes. Apart from the guest vocalist on "Hero", the vocals are all male. This is a very nice record from a band that I'll be paying a little closer attention to from now on...   MTQ=10/12

Latvian Radio - "Happiness Above A Hardwood Floor" cd  (no label)
Latvian Radio used to be known as the B-Sides, who released a fine debut album called "Troubleshooting" a few years back. They've decided to change the name (to avoid confusion with the many other similarly-named bands), and at the same time seem to have polished up their sound quite a bit. This second record from the band finds them a bit calmer and less power-poppy in general, and even when the band's sound does approach power pop territory, it's more refined - like the difference between early and late-era Replacements. That's not to say that they've lost their energy, though - you'll still find plenty of chances to bounce around to their frequently Beatlesesque pop songs while listening to this record. The band have definitely shown a lot of improvement on this record - hell, even the bonus song hidden at the end of the last track (an irritating ploy I grew tired of over ten years ago) was worth fast-forwarding to!   MTQ=11/13

Latvian Radio - "Seven Layers Of Self Defense" cd  (Belpid)
This is the third album from Patric Westoo's band (and the second since they changed their name from the B-Sides), and it's easily his best and most diverse work to date. The last album had found the band not only with a more polished sound, but also an overall calmer demeanor; on this record, the band's sound remains similarly refined, but the songs also seem to contain a bit more energy than those on the previous release. As before, this album shows us that the band excels at writing Replacements-styled power pop and Beatlesesque pop songs, but they also show off some other styles, from the Built To Spill-ish indie rock (at least their catchier songs) of "Angular Well Being" to the soul-inspired "We Ought To Be Ashamed" and "Night Blindness" (the latter of which could've fit on a Blochin 81 or Spearmint record). Their version of PJ Harvey's "This Is Love" definitely has their own touches, but unfortunately retains enough of the song's original dullness to make it merely feel like a throwaway track when placed amidst these other songs. Still, though, this is a largely enjoyable and catchy pop record!   MTQ=12/14

Le Chevre - "s/t" cd  (Startle)
South Carolina is not a place you'd expect to find electropop, but that's where this duo hails from and that's what they play. Some songs, like the two excellent openers "Everything Reminds Me" and "Worst Day", remind me of Vitesse and even the Postal Service (although that band has become the new Belle & Sebastian in terms of reference-dropping), but other songs like "Dead For Years" incorporate quiet acoustic guitars to the synths to create something a bit different. The acoustic element adds a new dimension to the songs - even during the more upbeat ones, where you'd think it wouldn't belong - which I like quite a bit. Unfortunately, this album wasn't planned very well, as the last three songs (including the eight minute long repetitive "Inner Voices" and the quiet, Neil Young-ish "Shot Down") are rather dull, and an anticlimactic end to what could've been a very good debut. Still, I'm very impressed by the first half of this record enough to go ahead and recommend it anyways...   MTQ=5/8

Le Coupe - "All I Hear" 7"  (Shelflife)
Another soft pop single from the land of California. The first song is a slow one, that goes on quite nicely, stops and then starts up again. The two songs on the flip are a bit more upbeat and bouncy with boy/girl vocals. The music says sun, but the lyrics say rain (literally!). Very similar to the Fairways and early Club 8.   MTQ=3/3

Le Coupe - "s/t" cd  (Shelflife)
Debut album from this Southern California duo of Stacy Michelson & Josh Moore, and a few guests. They remind me a lot of both Birdie and Club 8 (the latter especially due to the drum machine sound and vocals). The music is nice easy-going pop with soft guitars (often acoustic) with clean electric guitar melodies on top, and an occasional flourish of trumpets here and there. Sometimes, the music is reminiscent of the Sugargliders, too. A very lovely pop record, indeed!   MTQ=9/10

Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - "?" cd  (My Honey)
If you were actually paying attention, you would find the discography of this Italian band with a French name a bit confusing. They've had a few releases over the past couple years on their own label, My Honey, including a 3" cd, a lathe-cut 7" and a couple other cd-rs, with a bit of overlap between them; and though several of these songs were already collected on the "Breasting The Tape" cassette on Best Kept Secret, nearly all of them are now available again on this first full-length release from the band. The band's sound is basically gentle folk (a la Kings Of Convenience), with the album predominantly composed of slow and languorous songs played on acoustic guitars, though they make a little noise in the rocking "Aging Again". Most of the songs have an extra level of experimentation with the inclusion of synths and effects; sometimes this has a pleasant effect (like in "Tennis System & Its Stars" or "Venice"), but in a few songs, like "Give Her Some Flowers" or "A Tea At The Station", it can be a bit distracting. Still, this is a pleasant and low-key release.   MTQ=9/12

Le Man Avec Les Lunettes - "La Belle Epop" cd  (Series Two)
Not surprisingly for this band (who have a history of discography overlap), half of this material has already been previously released; the first five tracks are taken straight from their very first release, the 2004 "Saturate It, Than Reverse!" 3" cdep on My Honey Records (though, to be fair, that cd has been sold out for years). The rest of the cd is composed of newer songs (a couple of which have seen release on various compilations), which gives this record an interesting dichotomy, as the band have evolved substantially in the years since their debut. Much of their earlier material was a bit slower and lazier (in a fashion similar to Grandaddy), and though their newer stuff still reminds me of Grandaddy, the sound is a lot more developed and the songs just sound better. One of the most interesting parts is how they included a couple demos for songs from their newest album ("Plaskaplaskabombelibom"), one of which ("Apples"), they followed with the album track itself - and if I had not been paying attention, I don't think I would've even noticed that the two songs were the same, as the proper version is so much different from the demo! Simply put, their old stuff is nice, but their newer songs really are quite good!   MTQ=8/11

Le Pepes - "All Fun Things End" cd  (Kittridge)
This is the only album from this L.A. group that existed from '96-'98. Compiled five years after the band broke up, it sounds really dated. Hell, these recordings probably would've sounded dated back then! They're best described as a mix of Butterglory (right down to the boy/girl vocals) and Guv'ner: simple lo-fi indie rock with a fair amount of skronk and screaming which sometimes works (the chorus of "Bigwheel Trickery", for example) and sometimes doesn't ("Fragile" is impossible to listen to all the way through). Sometimes, they forego the noise altogether (and just sound like an edgy Butterglory), and give us excellent songs like "Ixat" and "Another J In The Letter Chain". Though not anything new or different, the record is still a lot of fun - even if you aren't nostalgic of mid 90s American indie rock!   MTQ=9/13

The Legends - "There And Back Again EP" cdep  (Labrador)
New EP from this smash Swedish 9-piece indiepop group, led by Johan Angergård (Club 8/Acid House Kings). The title track appears on their debut album, "Up Against The Legends", but the other three tracks are exclusive. You may have heard of this band, as they're been hyped rather heavily in Sweden; why can't bands this good be the "next big thing" in America? The songs are full of handclaps, tambourines, shambling guitars and Motown-influenced drumbeats, and the songs remind me of what it would sound like if the Radio Dept. and Leslies teamed up and learned Comet Gain, Clouds, and Vaselines covers. The final track, "It's Not Going To Happen", is the only one that doesn't follow that pattern, with its somewhat trip-hop beat and minimal (well, less cluttered) arrangement. Definitely a great way to be introduced to the band, and I can't wait to hear the full album!   MTQ=4/4