This review was first
published on CLUAS in 2002
Other albums reviewed in 2002
Lemon Jelly
A review of their album 'Lost Horizons'
Nick Franglin and Fred Deakin are Lemon Jelly and "Lost Horizons", their second
album, is a thing of rare beauty. Lazier music crits box Lemon Jelly off with
Air, Kid Loco, and the Orb. In doing so they are damning this highly original
band with the faintest of praise. Lemon Jelly's music is lounge devoid of muzak,
it's jazz without the flannel. Above all else it's the band's impish humour that
burnishes "Lost Horizons". This album is stylish, sleek, smoky, but most of all,
it's fun.
"Elements" is the smooth opener on "Lost Horizons"- think of a loved-up version
of the theme music from Raoul Dahl's "Tales of the Unexpected" and you get the
general idea. Check out "Element's" doobie doo background vocals too, the best
I've heard since "Walk on the wild side". "Spacewalking"s subject is self
evident - over a playful, almost Dukes of Hazard style backing track you hear
astronaut Michael O'Connor as he drifts out into the ether shouting "it's
beautiful!" - you know he's right too. "Ramblin' Man" opens with a cod operatic
take of Freddie Mercury's gruesomely awful "Barcelona". It then settles into a
dreamy string arrangement, over which an amiable old buffer talks about travel.
Before long there's a circular bass riff, the guitars reach the sky and our
venerable buddy names exotic destinations he's visited. A pedal steel kicks in
and by the time he mentions "Mandalay!!" your bags are packed, your tickets are
booked, you want to run out and see the world.
"Return to Patagonia" has a
rhythm track which is so slinky it's carnal, there's some sassy sax playing and
to top it all off, a Russian male voice choir materialises from nowhere, sings
its heart out, and disappears over the horizon. "Nice weather for ducks" pushes
the envelope even further - for starters there's a children's rhyme, followed by
an energetic Allman Brothers style guitar riff. The track then seamlessly
mutates into a brass motif that Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Express would kill
for.
Lemon Jelly's sonic pick and mixes may sound dizzying but this band are totally
in thrall with their sound and the world they create. Their music is perfectly
weighted, sounds are never used simply for their own sake, and Lemon Jelly don't
get dragged down by indulgence or self regard.
There is not a weak track on "Lost Horizons". Buy it to remind yourself why you
listen to music.
