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The Lemonheads (album)

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The Lemonheads
Studio album by
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

[edit]

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

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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

[edit]
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

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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

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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

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  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.