Like most people I discovered The Lemonheads with 1992's
It's A Shame About Ray, one of the quintessential 90's indie rock albums featuring, among other songs, a power pop version of Simon & Garfunkel's "Mrs Robinson". Little did I know they had already 4 albums behind them tracking a course from post-hardcore punk to melodic jangle pop, and shedding band members on the way until Evan Dando was the only original member left. The transformation would be complete by the time of
"...Ray", but here the band still featuring original bassist
Jesse Peretz (currently a film/TV director) and guitar hero Corey "Loog" Brennan (currently a professor of classical studies) is in transition. Dando's love of melody takes the upper hand on lead single "Half the Time" (the blueprint for his future MTV hits: Byrds-like melody, emotional "wounded" vocals and distorted guitars), as well as power ballad "Ride With Me" and a cover of Gram Parson's country ballad "Brass Buttons". Opener "Ballarat" is a more muscular affair, loud and grungey but never devoid of melody. As with other of the heavier tracks, I'm reminded of Dinosaur Jr. "Stove" is catchy punk-pop and
"Come Downstairs" a combination of the aforementioned styles. "Year Of The Cat" starts with an acoustic intro before straying in punk-pop/grunge territory. "Li'l Seed" is more atypical, a pro-weed anthem with shredding guitar, co-written with "professor"
Brennan and reminiscent of The Wipers. Brennan's other contribution is "(The) Door", starting as another power ballad but escalating in the kind of metallic solos I would never have associated with The Lemonheads. Last but not least, "Left for Dead" is a pleasant punky tune based on a song by the infamous mass murderer Charles Manson and previously recorded by The Lemonheads under the title "Clang Bang Clang". Admittedly this album sounds somewhat awkward in its attempt to combine the new sensitive and melodic indie direction with the band's heavier past (it's telling that Atlantic totally ignored it when they compiled "The Best Of Lemonheads"). They'd settle into a better fitting and more commercial sound in the future, but it's the mix of all those disparate elements that make "Lovey" worth listening to now. Without them it'd just be an inferior
Shame About Ray clone, and would want to listen to
that?
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