Album Review - The Lemonheads

Artist – The Lemonheads
Album – The Lemonheads

For those of you who were disappointed with Evan Dando’s solo album (and only 17,000 people even could have been), you may have been left with a feeling that the drug hazed days of the Lemonheads were forever gone. You would be wrong. So what does one do when most people in the music industry (the world?) hate you for what you let yourself become? You get two of the most prominent punk rockers to record and produce your next solo album and throw the Lemonheads name on it. Luckily for Dando, it worked.

The two punk rockers mentioned before would be Karl Alvarez and Bill Stevenson of All, The Descendents, and Black Flag (Stevenson). Not bad pickin's. The self titled disc starts off with a skipper, which is always a bummer. But the original Lemonheads slacker sound starts to creep in around track 2, “Become The Enemy”. “Pittsburg” fits right in with any song of off It’s A Shame About Ray, as does “Poughkeepsie”. There are a couple downer tracks, and “Let’s Just Laugh” is pretty boring, but for the most part the record is classic Lemonheads. All it is missing is Juliana Hatfield.

I have to admit that I never subscribed to the fanzine Die Evan Dando, Die. I know the guy missed a lot of shows and did a lot of drugs, but he pales in comparison to Axl Rose and Scott Stapp on the asshole meter, so give him a break. I am glad that the Lemonheads are back, and I hope their here to stay. I think that Alvarez and Stevenson are the best musicians Dando could work with for their sound (except Hatfield, of course) and they do an excellent job filling in. it may not be another It’s A Shame About Ray, but nothing ever will be. The Lemonheads is everything I expected, and hoped, that it would be.

7 out 10
-B

If you like this album, try:

The Lemonheads – It’s A Shame About Ray
Pavement – Slanted & Enchanted
Dinosaur Jr. – Without A Sound