Review of The Lemonheads
by Mike Evans
From Electric City, September 2006
THE GOOD: Evan Dando puts his band back together (sort of, The Lemonheads never really had a concrete lineup) and offers up the first LH album in a decade.
THE BAD: Hopefully, the record won't get lost in the shuffle - many feeling this outfit is well past its prime. Admittedly, even I was skeptical. But Mr. Dando put my mind at ease.
THE NITTY GRITTY: This time our boy is teaming up with drummer Bill Stevenson and bassist Karl Alvarez (sometime rhythm section of the Descendents). The end result is a rejuvenated Lemonheads cranking out an energetic and extremely crunchy power pop record. Evan's penchant for great melodies and the dead-on harmonies are still here, but this time the backing tracks are meatier.
Songs like the punchy opener "Black Gown" and even the slightly country-fied "Poughkeepsie" burst out of your speakers with a genuine kick - this power trio of sorts a new force to be reckoned with.
BUY IT?: Yes. And it works both ways. Longtime fans will be more than pleased with Dando's return. And newbies have an album sure to make them curious about the band's fabled past.