The Lemonheads were one of the original punk-pop outfits and have been an on-off going concern for 40 years. However, singer, guitarist, bandleader and loveable slacker, Evan Dando’s well-documented relationship with Class A drugs also made them the kings of underachievement – even if there is plenty of gold to be found among their recordings that did see the light of day.
In fact, it’s been almost 20 years since the band put out their last set of original songs, the excellent Lemonheads, even if there have been a couple of unmemorable discs of cover versions since then. However, it seems that Dando cleaned up his act a couple of years ago and has undergone something of a creative resurgence in the meantime. For not only is there a newly published memoir, Rumours of my Demise, but also this new album, Love Chant, in which the latest version of the band have been joined by the likes of Dinosaur Jr’s J Mascis and former members Juliana Hatfield and Tom Morgan to great effect.
There’s been no substantial reinvention of the Lemonheads’ sound with their return to the recording studio, but if Americana infused power-pop is to your taste, Love Chant is a fine return to form. From the lively yet melodic jangly guitar pop of “58 Second Song” to the woozy freak folk of “The Key of Victory”, Dando emphatically reclaims the musical territory that has been taken over by less adept pretenders during his absence. “Cell Phone Blues” and “In the Margin” could even be compared favourably with the tunes on the band’s classic It’s a Shame About Ray album.
Whether Dando’s left it a bit late for his return to make a significant impression on a musical landscape dominated by Tik Tok pop stars will be interesting to see. But even if Love Chant doesn’t hit the commercial heights that it truly deserves, it’s an album that will be more than enough to cheer those who remember the Lemonheads fondly.
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