Review Of Lemon Jelly – 64-95
April 5th, 2008
Track listing:
88 AKA Come Down On Me
68 AKA Only Time
93 AKA Dont Stop Now
95 AKA Make Things Right
79 AKA The Shouty Track
75 AKA Stay With You
76 AKA The Slow Train
90 AKA Man Like Me
64 AKA Go
North London duo Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen AKA Lemon Jelly return with their unique brand of downbeat madness, melody and whimsical humour.
Theyve come a long way since 2000s debut album KY, a compilation of their first three limited 10 vinyl EPs. A rapidly expanding fanbase and the release of 2002s Lost Horizons were quickly followed by a Brit and Mercury Music Prize nominations. All of this would have undoubtedly piled the pressure on for their next album release, 64-95, built around a selection of samples spanning those very dates.
The boys appear to have been up for the challenge delivering a wholly traditional Lemon Jelly album but unlike one weve seen before. Whilst there is still the abundance of annoyingly catchy piano loops, samples and simplistic melodies that have served them so well in the past, 64-95 immediately appears more mature. Whilst not as instantly likeable as Lost Horizons this ensures greater longevity and is probably all the better for it.
Long, slow-building tracks like Only Time, Dont Stop Now and the aptly titled The Slow Train are interspersed with Lemon Jellys own guitar anthems, The Shouty Track which samples Scottish punks The Scars and the Chemical Brother tribute track Come Down On Me which uses samples from the now defunct heavy-metallers Master of Reality. Additional contributions from Terri Walker and Star Treks very own William Shatner ensure that the boys deliver the kind of eclectic album weve now come to expect and love.
This is the first album theyve made with an accompanying DVD, lovingly created by Airside, the design company consisting of 50% Deakin. All very incestuous but it really does work well. Now, in addition to the previously unique Jelly packaging & artwork, we are given visuals to enhance each track. How nice of them!