Les Discrets
Ariettes Oubliées...
Prophecy Productions (2012)
France's Les Discrets have been active for nigh on nine years, yet are only on the cusp of their second full length release. Driving force Fursy Teyssier has had a hand in one of the greatest exports of the majestic French scene, Amesoeurs (unfortunately a band no longer in existence), and once upon a time toured with Alcest as their … Read more
Les Georges Leningrad
Deux Hot Dogs Moutarde Chou
Alien 8 (2004)
Apparently the title of Les Georges Leningrad's latest translates to "Two Hot Dogs Mustard Cabbage." Whatever. I don't actually own this record. I downloaded it, and for some reason, the titles are different than what how the group's website lists them. I don't feel shame for downloading, but I'd like to state that I do regret not having this on … Read more
Les Lullies
Mauvaise Foi
Slovenly (2023)
I’m not going to pretend I know any French, but I can tell you that the rhythm of the language is perfect for Les Lullies. Mauvaise Foi (“Bad Faith,” according to google), begins with the title track, a barn burning guitar rocker with big licks and a repetitive chorus in 4/4 time. It’s immediately familiar in that garage rock way, … Read more
Les Savy Fav
3/5 (Reissue)
French Kiss (2006)
The shakedown: In 1997, a five-piece post-punk rock outfit based out of Brooklyn released ten songs on an album titled 3/5. The album title is more relevant to the band today then it was when they first released it. Back then the band had five out of five of the original line-up. Today, only three out of the five members … Read more
Les Savy Fav
Inches
French Kiss (2004)
Dear Tim Harrington, I don't know if you remember, but when you played at the Great American Music Hall the night before Thanksgiving last year, there was a tall guy with glasses and a moustache. Well, specifically that tall guy with glasses was me. Do you remember giving me a high five after you touched your ass? I certainly do, … Read more
Les Yeux De La Tête
Mosca Violenta
Head Records (2013)
Jazz metal three-piece Les Yeux De La Tête’s (translation: The Eyes Of The Head) second full-length release, Mosca Violenta, is a vicious 11-song steamroller of sludgy riffs, raucous drum patterns, and avant-garde saxophone lines. For a guitarless, sparse album, MV is surprisingly theatrical and fascinating.The trio’s doom jazz masterpiece opens with the demonic ska song “Fubar.” “Soutane Of Swing” is … Read more
Lesbian
Forestelevsion
Translation Loss (2013)
Talk about false advertising. As far as I can tell, the self-described "PsychoProgDoom" band Lesbian is based out of Seattle, not the Aegean island. Putting geographic misrepresentation aside, their latest album Forestelevision is truly a monster to behold.If you couldn't gather from their self description, Lesbian are a notoriously difficult band to pigeonhole. They have the psychedelic guitars straight out … Read more
Less Than Jake
Hello Rockview (Reissue)
Sleep It Off (2011)
It has been nearly 13 years since Hello Rockview was first released, and the album still holds up. Like with the first couple of re-releases, Sleep It Off have redesigned the original cover and coupled the original album with a live recording of it in its entirety.There isn’t much left to be said about the studio recording of the album … Read more
Less Than Jake
In With the Out Crowd
Sire (2006)
I'm a huge Less Than Jake fan. Hello Rockview is one of my favorite albums ever recorded, so when I heard that the band would be working with Howard Benson (who produced that stellar record) to record In With the Out Crowd, I was pretty excited. The band commented on the record saying that the material would be leaning more … Read more
Less Than Jake
Losing Streak (Reissue)
Sleep It Off (2011)
It’s been close to fifteen years since Less Than Jake first released Losing Streak and now holding the rights, they’re re-releasing it with redesigned artwork and a live version of the album (a DVD in the physical release and mp3 format in the digital). Whilst Losing Streak isn’t the best of their albums, that accolade really belongs to Hello Rockview, … Read more
Less Than Jake
TV EP
Sleep It Off (2010)
In theory, Less Than Jake covering catchy theme songs and product jingles sounds like a good idea. It seemed to work in the past. However, Less Than Jake’s TV/EP will fall short of your expectations.It’s hard to be too critical of an EP that was meant to be a fun project. The problem is, this project doesn’t have much replay … Read more
Let it Die
Stick to Your Guns
Spook City (2004)
The city of Detroit has a bad reputation on the streets of, well, the entire United States. It's known as a dirty, crime-ridden city full of despair and wretched individuals. While I am sure there is some truth to this, it is likely nothing more than a generalization blown way out of proportion. Nevertheless, the city has spawned some fairly … Read more
Let Me In
The Bag
Penthar Music (2011)
When I was asked to write a review for the band Let Me In’s debut album, The Bag and they were categorized as an Italian pop/punk band I was a bit intrigued. One thing that jumps at the listener from the start of the record is that these guys know how to rock. Italy isn’t known for producing pop-punk bands … Read more
Let Me Run
Broken Strings EP
Paper + Plastick (2010)
Let Me Run managed to get alot of recognition in 2009 very quickly. This maybe be because of their jersey roots and owing much in sound to one Gaslight Anthem. These things helped them gain alot of attention along with some touring and some very good songs. The songs were good but could notably use some work, as they never … Read more
Let Me Run
Meet Me at the Bottom
XOXO (2009)
Hailing from New Jersey, Let Me Run is the latest in a series of bands walking the line between the punk, rock and roll, and the blues. The cues that Let Me Run take are some that many other bands before them have also had - Springsteen, The Clash, and Hot Water Music - but this four-piece find a way … Read more
Let Planes Circle Overhead
Let Planes Circle Overhead
Motivesounds (2005)
Tantric music has its charms, but more often than not, it's boring as shit. What's tantric music you ask? Well I'll tell you, you nosey bastards. We all know what tantric sex is and the music works on the same principle. It starts out soft and mellow, keeps building and building, gets harder and harder, but never busts a nut. … Read more
Leviathan
Scar Sighted
Profound Lore (2015)
It has been quite a journey for Jef Whitehead, aka Wrest, and for his solo project Leviathan. The longevity of the band is quite astonishing when you consider that its inception dates back to the late ‘90s, releasing myriads of demos through the years before the debut album, The Tenth Sublevel of Suicide, came out, with the aggressive sound of … Read more
Lewd Acts
Black Eye Blues
Deathwish Inc. (2009)
Lewd Acts finally release their debut full-length in the form of Black Eye Blues. And with their first long-player, the San Diego outfit makes good on all the promise of their early recordings. But in addition to their classic-hardcore inspired approach, we also get a few other musical nuances that showcase influences that weren't readily apparent on their previous recordings. … Read more
