Allah-Las - LAHS

Allah-Las settle back into the saddle and make their way out into the desert once more on their horses with no name  with their new record, LAHS their fourth in all since their eponymous debut came out in 2012. That horse metaphor frankly is exactly what the record sounds like, if nothing else this band are subscribers to the 'if it ain't broke don't fix it', school of thought.

 

In their case you can't really blame them because they came up with such a cool metier from the off. That laidback sound that was minted first time round by bands based in LA and San Francisco between 1965 and 1967; we're talking Beau Brummels, Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Doors, Love, Moby Grape, Monkees, Grateful Dead and so on and so forth here. Nothing on LAHS strays from that essential formula and fans of the band will not be disappointed, even if less committed listeners might wonder if they could have pushed the boat out to a greater degree this time round.

Personally I'd say it would be churlish to be over-critical. Allah-Las are quite upfront about what they like and want to do. Made up of a set of four guys who used to work in record shops, they embody that idea, the 'have you heard this?' one. Music obsessives, but not snotty ones, there's a generosity and positive vibe to absolutely everything they've ever done. Stoked by the inspiration of the bands listed above as well as myriad other artists who you've never heard of, (that's record store wisdom for you), they've mastered the contours of a sound and sensibility that is quite effortlessly cool.

So if LAHS doesn't find the band arriving at their creative apogee, (I'd say this probably isn't quite as good as their previous two albums, Calico Review and Worship The Sun), such calls are necessarily marginal because Allah-Las do exactly what you'd expect them to do here and they do it very well. If bands are going to tread water all, you can really hope for is that they'll do so as smoothly as on here.

So, if I found my attention wandering slightly as the album moved deep into its second side, I can't bring myself to be too critical. I just love the altar of cool that fuels Allah-Las engines, so if this feels sometimes like the most shapeless season of a top rate long running programme at least it's clear why the whole thing has proved so successful. Allah Las are as good at what they do as any band in the world. And they know it.

n.b. It should also be noted that they sign off on the record with one of the best songs of their entire career, the imperious ride of Pleasure, which imagines Kraftwerk singing in Spanish not German, in stetsons, ponchos and four day stubble. An instant classic.