Albums by this artist

Sea To Shining Sea (2001)

Destination 2000 (1999)

Love As Laughter

Sea To Shining Sea

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» BRAD CAFFEINE | STAFF WRITER

Love As Laughter Sea To Shining Sea Sub Pop, 2001 RiYL: Rolling Stones, Sebadoh, Pavement, (acoustic) Beck

I've always wanted to like Love as Laughter. When I was a junior in high school, I had fallen in love with Beck's One Foot In The Grave, and when my friend told me that Sam Jayne -- who had played on the record -- had his own band called Love as Laughter, I got a 7'' by them. I did not like it. It was muddy and it was boring. Then I heard Built to Spill cover "Singing Sores Make Perfect Swords" years later. I thought it was a beautiful song, so I picked up LAL's Greeks Bring Gifts. Man, I didn't like that record! Even their original version of that song was kind of a disappointment when compared to Built to Spill's.

For some reason though, I could never say I hated the group. Let's face it, they were on the cool labels, they were hanging out with the cool indie crowd, and they were being covered or talked up by cool bands. What's not to like? The one problem with LAL, however, was much like one I had in high school: they had a ton of potential, but never used it all. The punchline: nearly five years after I first heard them, Love as Laughter has finally made a record that I can say I love.

Sea To Shining Sea follows the backlash of good ol' rock and roll music that bands like The Strokes and B.R.M.C. have been putting out lately. The album kicks off with grinding, treble-soaked guitar thrash-out entitled "Coast to Coast," on which Sam Jayne sounds like a zealous Stephen Malkmus during Pavement's glory days. The rest of the record is full of great upbeat ass-kickers in the same vein, trading in LAL's dense layers of noise for a tighter sound without sacrificing emotion. Jayne's lyrics have never sounded so emotional or clear.

One of the most stand-out tracks on the album is "Sam Jayne=Dead," which could be Jayne's way of sarcastically answering fans wondering what the band's been up to since their last Sub-Pop record. The funky acoustic guitar sounds so confident, you'd swear it would have to be Courtney Taylor of the Dandy Warhols playing to a party of teenage girls to show off. Jayne's vocals once again come out with the sort of cocky "I-know-this-song-kicks-ass" sound that you haven't heard since the heyday of The Stones.

Sure, Love as Laughter has changed their style up a bit, but it's obviously growth in the right direction. I applaud them for their comfort in evolution and can easily and finally say "I love this record."

BRAD CAFFEINE |