The Lemonheads (album)

The Lemonheads
Studio album by
The Lemonheads
ReleasedSeptember 26, 2006
RecordedBlasting Room, Fort Collins, Colorado
GenrePunk rock[1]
LabelVagrant
ProducerBill Stevenson, Evan Dando
The Lemonheads chronology
The Best of the Lemonheads: The Atlantic Years
(1998) 		The Lemonheads
(2006) 		Varshons
(2009)

The Lemonheads is the eighth studio album by the Lemonheads and the first after their return from a nine-year hiatus.

Background

On April 26, 2006, it was announced that the Lemonheads had signed to Vagrant Records. The group's new lineup consisted of original member Evan Dando and Descendents/All bassist Karl Alvarez and drummer Bill Stevenson. It was also revealed that the band was working on an album due for release later in the year.[2]

The Lemonheads features contributions from Josh Lattanzi on bass, the Band's Garth Hudson on keyboards, and Dinosaur Jr.'s J Mascis on lead guitar. "Steve's Boy" is dedicated to William A. Stevenson, Bill Stevenson's father.

Release

On July 6, 2006, The Lemonheads was announced for release, and the track listing was revealed;[3] later that month, the band played a few shows in the UK.[4] On August 22, 2006, "No Backbone" was posted online.[5] The Lemonheads was made available for streaming on September 25, 2006, and was released a day later.[3][6] In November and December 2006, the band went on a tour of the U.S.[7] In January and February 2007, they toured the US again; they then embarked on a tour of New Zealand and Australia in March and April 2007.[8] In July 2007, the band toured the US East Coast with support from the Icarus Line.[9]

A limited-edition yellow vinyl version of the album was released in 2008, with signed copies made available via the Lemonheads' website.

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Aggregate scores
SourceRating
Metacritic70/100[10]
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[11]
The Guardian[12]
Pitchfork6.8/10[13]
Rolling Stone[1]
Slant[14]
Spin[15]

On review aggregator Metacritic the album holds a score of 70/100, based on 23 reviews, indicating a "generally favorable" reception.[10]

Jimmy Newlin of Slant reviewed the album very positively, calling it "nearly as great as the band’s masterpiece, It's a Shame About Ray, and far more dependable than the runner-up Come on Feel the Lemonheads."[14] Jon Young of Spin wrote that "Dando chooses maximum accessibility, offering agreeably chunky guitar pop."[15] Maddy Costa of the Guardian was more critical, writing "there's a broken feeling about this album, a resignation that reflects the trouble of the intervening years."[12]

Track listing

All songs by Evan Dando unless otherwise stated.

  1. "Black Gown" - 2:04
  2. "Become the Enemy" (Bill Stevenson) - 3:54
  3. "Pittsburgh" - 2:55
  4. "Let's Just Laugh" (Dando, Stevenson) - 4:44
  5. "Poughkeepsie" - 2:10
  6. "Rule of Three" - 2:19
  7. "No Backbone" (Tom Morgan) - 3:07
  8. "Baby's Home" (Morgan; intro by Dando) - 3:31
  9. "In Passing" - 2:50
  10. "Steve's Boy" (Stevenson) - 2:44
  11. "December" - 4:22

Charts

Chart performance for The Lemonheads
Chart (2006) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[16] 97
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[17] 98
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[18] 92
UK Albums (OCC)[19] 56
US Independent Albums (Billboard)[20] 26

References

  1. ^ a b "Album Reviews — The Lemonheads". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved August 12, 2007.
  2. ^ "Lemonheads reform, sign to Vagrant; new album this fall". Alternative Press. April 26, 2006. Retrieved July 27, 2016.
  3. ^ a b "The Lemonheads announce new album details". Alternative Press. July 6, 2006. Retrieved July 30, 2016.
  4. ^ Paul, Aubin (July 6, 2006). "Lemonheads gear up for September release". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 29, 2022.
  5. ^ Paul, Aubin (August 22, 2006). "First track from upcoming Lemonheads album". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  6. ^ Paul, Aubin (September 25, 2006). "Stream the Lemonheads". Punknews.org. Retrieved January 31, 2022.
  7. ^ "The Lemonheads announce North American tour this winter". Alternative Press. August 30, 2006. Retrieved August 4, 2016.
  8. ^ Paul, Aubin (December 19, 2006). "The Lemonheads". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 7, 2022.
  9. ^ Paul, Aubin (June 19, 2007). "The Lemonheads / The Icarus Line". Punknews.org. Retrieved February 15, 2022.
  10. ^ a b "The Lemonheads, The Lemonheads (Critic Reviews)", metacritic.com, Metacritic, retrieved 2024-07-02
  11. ^ "The Lemonheads - The Lemonheads". Allmusic.
  12. ^ a b Maddy Costa (2006-09-22), "The Lemonheads, The Lemonheads (review)", The Guardian, retrieved 2024-07-02
  13. ^ Nitsuh Abebe (2006-09-28), "The Lemonheads, The Lemonheads (review)", pitchfork.com, Pitchfork, retrieved 2024-07-02
  14. ^ a b Jimmy Newlin (2006-09-25), "Review: The Lemonheads, The Lemonheads", slantmagazine.com, Slant, retrieved 2024-07-02
  15. ^ a b Jon Young (November 2006). "The Lemonheads, The Lemonheads (review)". Spin. p. 102. Retrieved 2024-07-02.
  16. ^ Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 164.
  17. ^ "Ultratop.be – The Lemonheads – The Lemonheads" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  18. ^ "Offiziellecharts.de – The Lemonheads – The Lemonheads" (in German). GfK Entertainment Charts. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  19. ^ "Official Albums Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved August 20, 2022.
  20. ^ "The Lemonheads Chart History (Independent Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved August 20, 2022.