Album
reviews - La Gloria Album
reviews - La Gloria It’s almost a tragedy that
Alan Galloway and Caroline Easther have other lives outside of music, because,
as songwriters, they just keep impressing. This, their third album, has an elegant,
sometimes edgy but mostly melodic pop sheen with a mystical poet’s heart, which,
on the understated and graceful A Matter of Days, Driving, the
title track, the delicately reflective Fool and No Ordinary Day
is genuine free of affectation.
Dominion,
August 1998
Let’s Planet has always
had a reputation for "well-crafted" pop songs, but here is the first
time the recording has matched the performances and the feel with what the songs
have deserved – it’s a nice, warm sounding and controlled album of melancholic
pop, highlighted by one gorgeous, grim brooder called A Matter of Days.
It’s nice to see a band who’ve stuck to their guns so long actually demonstrate
the rewards of continually refining their craft and continuing to grow in stature.
City Voice,
August 1998
Love the cover art on this
one. The music is careful pop, crafted with guitars for the most part, and every
song feels complete. Mood music for the mature and restful among us.
Capital
Times, August 1998
A professional sophisticated
blend of Celtic style folk and melodic rock/pop … The Crown is smooth
and lively, with a catchy rhythm that spins almost to the point of delirium,
while Hydraulics sounds like an excerpt from a Western, with a deeper
groove that’s almost like something Primus would produce. Driving is
probably the most unusual track, using a striking combination of sounds including
roadhouse guitar and eerie keyboards. A Matter of Days has a particularly
touching melody that floats on an astral plane … Madelaine is more classic
melancholy with a rich melody, and perhaps a Bats or Chills influence. Galloway
sings in a way which exaggerates and draws the lower notes out to emphasise
their sadness. The effect is quite interesting, and actually sounds strangely
similar to Nico’s peculiarly icy, detached vocal style. La Gloria feels
smooth and fluid overall, passing through a variation of styles but retaining
the same haunted, timeless quality which seems to hold a link to the past and
be contemporary at the same time.
Lava,
September 1998
Let’s Planet have squeezed
out their third album, and very smooth it is, with more harmonies and shared
lead vocals, courtesy of Alan Galloway and Caroline Easther. Music for the café
rather than the bar or barbeque …
Real Groove,
September 1998
This Wellington ensemble
check in with album number three and a lovely wee affair it is too. It’s a melodic
bag of guitar pop, all warm, acoustic, and jangly. The vocal duties are held
down by Alan Galloway and Caroline Easther, who once occupied the drum stool
for The Chills, a band whose sound isn’t a million miles away from Let’s Planet’s
… pisses all over the current load of Britpop wallies.
Pavement,
October 1998