Lemon Fresh (Lemon Jelly K.Y -Lemon Jelly)

Member Name: stoffy

Product:	Lemon Jelly K.Y -Lemon Jelly
Date:	15/12/02 (232 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: superbly original sound, highly amusing samples

Disadvantages: may be a bit too quirky and random for some

Anonymous dance bands with a sense of humour aren't exactly ten-a-penny these days, which makes the presence of Lemon Jelly a refreshing change to all the bland Euro-trance that is doing the rounds at the moment.

Known for their sense of fun and wackiness, the London duo's first 'album' was actually a collection of their three three-track EP's that were released in the late 1990's. Combining a myriad of samples, it's best to think of them as The Avalanches, but even more laid-back...

The first notable thing about the Lemon Jelly.ky album is its packaging. Psychadelic and very arty, it's obviously had a lot of thought put into it, and makes for a change from the run of the mill sleeves that other bands knock up.

The opener is the typically quirky 'In The Bath'. Revolving around a spoken-word sample of the phrase 'what do you do in the bath?', it was recently used on the 'Hello Moto' Motorola adverts. Taking excerpts from the gorgeously named 'Tahitian Sunset', it is fantastically mellow and sets the tone for a bizarre journey through the surreal and comedy work of Londoners Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen...

We go into Avalanches territory with second tune 'Nervous Tension' which samples what sounds like a 1950's infomercial about how to get a good night's sleep. Despite appearing like a bizarre idea on the surface, it actually works within the context of the song, and stands up well to repeated listening. It also has disconcertingly creepy piano sequence too, which complements the ever so slightly disconcerting scientific reasoning that the sleep-makers are trying to convey.

It's a Geography/Biology lesson up next with 'A Tune For Jack' which introduces us to sea-elephants in Patagonia (!). It then turns into to one of the tune highlights of the album, with a lush Latino instrumental epic that isn't as sample heavy as
some of the other tracks. Best described as modern sounding retro, it's another one that you may remember from an advert, as a portion of it was used in the 'Witch Hazel' adverts (you know, the one with 'Paper Bag' Paula Price et al). Fortunately, this is one instance where a bad ad can't numb the effects of a good song.

The second trio of songs are taken from the band's 'The Yellow EP' and commence with 'His Majesty King Raam', the most loving and kind King ever. This is basically a direct soundalike of a children's story tape with it's swirling atmospheric orchestration and whimsical adjective-heavy plot. It does concern me that half-way through I get the image of incidental music from 'Cold Feet', but it's still a fine tune.

Where as 'Nervous Tension' told us how to get a good night's sleep, 'The Staunton Lick' tells us how to play guitar. Once catchy riff later and we are taken on an aural journey which oozes the imagery of a lazy summer's day.

We go back to the South American plains with 'Homage To Patagonia', which weaves another interesting and deep soundscape. Containing fewer samples than some of the others, it leads into the first track from the band's 'Midnight EP'. 'Kneal Before Your God' starts off with some scary animal noises and bongoes, before launching into something of a more downbeat track. However, this subtle change in direction makes for a more rounded sound, and even includes a bit of scratching.

The penultimate track is the epic 'Page One', which like the previous track takes a bit of time to get into its stride. Sounding a little bit like a stripped down 4Hero at the start, it has an interesting commentary about people's ability to live with no worldy possessions. A bit history-lecturish, it nonetheless manages to work in the context of the album.

The album is
wrapped up with 'Come', a laid-back affair, which is arguably the most minimalist sounding track on a very bare album. Perhaps a little overlong, it nonetheless brings this collection to a suitable fitting positive end.

Despite being only 9 tracks long, each song is almost like a mini-album in its self, and not one of these is shorter than 5 minutes. Fantastically original, they have created a totally unique sound. However, some purists may find the whole package a bit too random and unorthdox, and may perhaps think that there isn't much substance behind their sound.

The band and this album in particular are often classed as chill-out, although the tempo's are probably too variable for that to be an accurate label. Instead, it's best to view the album in a category of its own and with no definable parameters. The first time you hear the album, you really have no idea as to what's round the corner...

If you are a fan of music with a quirky twist, than this album is essential. Fragmented and sparse in places, it still manages to remain interesting and surprising after every listen. However, one word of warning is that it is very tricky to track down, although some of the larger HMV's usually have copies available. Buy this, and you won't be disappointed...

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