Literature

More old books at Bromley House...

I downloaded a couple of compilations of b-sides and stuff by the Lemonheads that I stumbled across on the internet yesterday and then spent my 'listening time' today listening to their 'Lovey' album several times instead. It's one I've got on tape somewhere that used to get listened to all the time in Dave's car on the way to gigs over a period of a couple of years at the start of the nineties but I only really 'got' it, I think, a bit later on - now I think it's possibly their best, or the equal of 'It's A Shame About Ray', at least. There's a lot of stuff from around that time from the US where artists who grew up being into the eighties hardcore scene were working out how to expand their horizons while still trying to stay true to the independence, excitement and aggression of that scene. Plus, culturally there's a whole different, less intellectual feel than with Post-Punk on this side of the pond - this lot grew up with Kiss and Aerosmith, for heaven's sake! I'm thinking of the Pixies, Dinosaur Jr., even Sonic Youth, to an extent. The Lemonheads are often seen as developing out of punk and in a whole lot more pure melodic alt-pop direction but I think the tension between the two is what makes their best stuff - and I think Evan Dando remained a punk at heart rather than jettisoning that as he gradually shaved off his original band members. And the bit in 'Ride With Me' where the rhythm section comes in after the intro is one of the most perfect, aching moments I can think of in all of rock...