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The record is alive with a lush, symphonic sensuousness that recalls Of Montreal; it's as layered and ornate as an origami crane, but as organic and effortless as the real feathered thing.
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The album basks in sun-drenched classic rockisms while managing to sound leagues above throwback jam bands like Phish.
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Under The RadarLa La Land blows that template sky high, expanding and expounding upon the band's sound in a way that is utterly thrilling while still retaining all the muted joy and gentle perfection of "Park Avenue." [Winter 2010, p.65]
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La La Land is so warm and easy to like, it triumphs over any misgivings.
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At its best, though, La La Land resembles a soundtrack for some lost early-'70s youthsploitation film.
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Although not without its missteps ("Future from the '80s" brought to you by vocoder choruses), La La Land finds the plateaus to be nearly as interesting as the peaks.
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Plants And Animals can write good songs, but because they tend to be quite long and full of melodic meandering, they were better suited to their old acoustic style were the electric guitar was used sparsely to take the song elsewhere and captivate the listener. You can have too much of the good thing. But at times on La La Land, the guitar work is undeniably brilliant.
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Last time around, the bandmembers referred to that aspect of their sound as "post-classic rock," though in interviews for La La Land, they declared it "barbecue rock" instead. Whatever you call it, that predilection for juicy hooks is a major part of what keeps this mercurial bunch solidly grounded.
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So while La La Land may not be the stellar follow-up that Parc Avenue deserved, it does offer something for fans willing to look beyond its tarted-up exterior.
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La La Land succeeds on different, perhaps more modest terms, by clearing out the clutter a bit.
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On La La Land, however, Plants and Animals abandon most of the qualities that made the band distinct in favor of conforming to more contemporary indie trends.
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In what was already an inane, washed-up concept to begin with, P&A fail to enlighten by opting to deliver trite lyrics and characterless humor for their own amusement. Evidently, consciousness suits them better.