Okay, this next pick is a little weird for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love their music, it’s just, well, they, or he, is kind of a sucky dude. The next band is the La’s.

When I was in high school, around 1991, I discovered the La’s. They had a pretty big hit with “There She Goes”. It might have been made a bigger hit with Sixpence None The Richer’s cover. But it was a hit in it’s own right, especially in jolly old England.

I remember this Japanese exchange student friend of mine. I called him Tot, short for something to the effect of Totsoshiro or something or other. Maybe you can see why I just called him Tot. Sometimes I called him Tot-Spot. Anyway, one time me and him and this other dude, Matt, yeah, we went to this Chinese Restaurant/Dance Club. When we got there, Tot wasted no time in requesting that popular hit at the time, “You’re Unbelievable” from EMF I think. Anyway, the DJ said no or something and then said, “How ‘bout this one?” and held up an album with a big eye on the cover.

And that’s how I heard “There she goes” for the first time. Right away, I thought to myself, Man, that dude’s voice was kind of cool-sounding. And the guitar riff was tattooed on my head. So, the next day, I went to Pitchfork and got the tape. The girl behind the counter said, “Do you like REM?”

And I said, “Yes.”

And she said, “Well you’re gonna like this then. The guy sounds just like Michael Stipe.”

Doubt it.

Anyway, I got home and within minutes I was completely consumed by The La’s tape. I’m telling you, no exaggeration, every single song on the album was incredible! Some particular favorites were, “Timeless Melody”, of course “There She Goes”, and “The Freedom Song”.

It’s hard to describe, but Lee Mavers’ voice is incredibly electric sounding. Scratchy and twangy and just odd. Maybe, like Michael Stipe’s, but that can’t be right. It’s almost other worldly. I recently checked some live performances on Youtube, just to see if his voice was altered for the album- ‘cause it’s that strange- and it looked as though it was indeed his natural singing voice. Impressive.

With that said, the reason I’m hesitant to recommend The La’s is basically because of Mavers. Not only is he the singer, but he’s also the writer and man behind the music. Besides that, he’s a paralyzing, rather infuriating perfectionist. I was trying to find out why they never put out any other albums. And from interviews, I’ve gleaned, if Mavers had his way, he never even would have released the one and only 1990 album, the very same one I adored. Usually, even with bands I really like, there are at least one or two songs I don’t like. Not the case with the La’s album. So, needless to say, the La’s were probably dead in the water before they even really started. Mavers went through a million bandmates before and after the 1990 self-titled album was released. I guess finding fault in the whole lot of them. Only John Power, the bass player and back-up vocalist, stuck with him. And even in those performance, Powers looks wary of Mavers, as if he might get sacked at any moment. So the La’s in retrospect, probably never really existed. Just Mavers, who’s now an aging old would-be rockstar clinging to his master tapes like Smigel clinging to his precious.

Sad.

Regardless, despite what Lee Mavers might say, the album is perfection, every song a sprawling, adventurous and extremely infectious tune I only wish I could discover again for the first time.