Appreciation for a record, any record I’m guessing, by Welsh musician/producer Laurice depends on your tolerance for outsized personalities. If you think egocentric types who possess an unblinking belief in their abilities, whether justified or not, represent the dregs of independent music, you might not think this mysterious dude from the fringes is worth your time. But if you aren’t afraid of recognizing genius in fellows that seem to have over-recognized same, you’ll have a ball listening to what Laurice has to offer you, which is quite a lot, indeed. Best of Laurice Vol. 2 is a grinning mirror image of the unseen forces that drive L-rice to create, pregnant with influences that totally make sense considering the times afoot when these recordings were slammed to tape (the 70s baby). There’s a 60s feel I can’t deny also, a hint of psych-rebel sprawl that creeps in the background, denying Laurice the chance to truly represent the pop aesthetic it seems he sincerely wants to inhabit. The closest precedent is definitely 10cc (yep, THAT 10cc; they have some kick-ass shit dude, for real; check out “Silly Love” and rock out, weirdos), circa “The Worst Band In the World”, or maybe some of those bands on those crazy Prae Kraut Pandaemonium comps, which seriously kick ASS. Not that Laurice kicks ass; he’s a lover, not a fighter, yet cutz like “Dark Side of Your Face” betray a side of the artist maybe even he wasn’t too keen on revealing (though he did write the fuckin’ thing). I’m stoke on Best of Laurice Vol. 2 and I feel that if you’ve never cracked the Almost Ready/Mighty Mouth/Last Laugh axis this record, along with that sensational Sneaky Pinks debut 7-inch, will bring you into the fold with a resounding YEAAAAH-YEAAAAAH!!! Truly an unknown curiosity worth investigating to the fullest, regardless of the many, many choices out there.
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