Okay, let me be frank. By all rights I did not want to get this LP. My normal filter would have had me flee a "reuniting" of a band I really liked back in the day, and if I needed a second reason there'd be the fact that nobody actually reunited; it's just Evan Dando with a new posse. In some ways I felt it was also disrespecting the great work old 'heads have gone on to do, especially Juliana (the newest from her, "Made in China" is awesome).So- in a weak moment I grabbed this album.And it's actually good.Damn.So here's what works on it:
One, it is a reuniting of the sound. Members of the Descendents make up the rest of the trio (with some helpers on some songs, like other (ex?)90's-icon J. Mascis) but the actual sound of the Lemonheads survives and thrives a bit here. I use "a bit" to qualify it because not every song knocks it out of the park in terms of nailing the sound and feeling of a Lemonheads record; not that even the old Lemonheads records didn't suffer from Dandofication and have a few non-Lemonheads tracks either. But what does work sounds like they could be snatched from any record in the 90's- and that's a good thing.
Two, it thankfully doesn't sound like Evan's solo record. Now that may sound like damning with faint praise, but I actually liked the recent "Baby, I'm Bored" from Evan- especially with the Royston Langdon assist- but the Lemonheads are a more kinetic, backwards-hook sort of band and Evan's solo work tends to be sweeter, more obvious.
Three, the song "Become the Enemy" is the best Lemonhead song in forever in terms of a track that, if you like the Lemonheads, you will be Constitutionally obligated to like this tune. Moreover, this song sounds like it was found in a time capsule from 1992. (This is a "good thing" for me due to my recent moods about music and self-consciousness that I'm getting snobby about music made in my heyday; it's where my inherent distaste for reunion albums comes form since I'm paranoid it's diluting the legacy; re: the new Who.)Lastly, it's just a decent album. It's not stellar in all places, and there are times where Evan's self-obsessed recognition of his own talent gets in the way of a perfectly good jam, but it's all bloody there and it's a good listen. I'm pleasantly surprised.I think I'll go get that new Who album now.-Dean
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