Once upon a time I got an email from No Idea Records. It imparted in me the knowledge that Lemuria and Cheap Girls had released a split 7" and that I could BUY IT NOW!!!!! This email was no different from the tens of emails I get every day from No Idea and other labels and I am really good at ignoring all of them. Just ask the single Gaslight Anthem put out for Record Store Day last year. Do I own said record? No, I do not, because I am immune to marketing. But there was something about this email about this record perhaps coupled with the fact that No Idea 7"s are notoriously on the inexpensive side. What I'm trying to tell you guys is that I actually bought this record. Hard copy. Vinyl. And let me tell you: sumbitch is gorgeous. Half pink, half translucent red. And what of the music, you ask? Well I'll tell you (this review is rife with sentence fragments, don't think I don't notice. I like to believe it's my 'voice' and that it's what keeps the people coming back for more).Musically this record was pretty much what I expected it to be. The Cheap Girls track was fine but it didn't floor me, and the Lemuria numbers split between one I loved and one I really really liked. There. You can go home now (some of you have gone home already. Adam, did you make it this far into a review with the name 'Lemuria' at the top????). Let's start with the offering from Cheap Girls; 'Pure Hate.' It's the same sort of bouncing/driving indie rock that was a hallmark of the better songs on their last album that I reviewed here. For something called 'Pure Hate' it's fairly understated. In fact my big complaint about the song was that when he said the title in the chorus, he kind of swallows it and moves on to the next line. It doesn't sound like pure hate when he sings it, it sounds more like diluted grumpiness. I know it seems like a nit-picky complaint, but it bothered me a little bit every time I listened to the song. Other than that, its fun to listen to, he's got a sweet, plaintive voice that complements well his confessional, personal lyrics, blah blah blah stuff I said in the last review.
Now, I make no apologies about my feelings for Lemuria, and their side of this record doesn't ask me to. I'm going back and forth between drummer Alex Kerns and guitarist Sheena Ozzella in terms of my preferred songwriter. On the last seven I was a much bigger fan of Ozzella's offering but on this record, it's Kerns' hands down. Which isn't to say Sheena's song, Lemons, isn't good. It's great and everything I like in a Lemuria song: swooping female vocals, uptempo musically in direct contrast with stark lyricism. I particularly like the stilted way she gets out the last syllables of the last line "You don't realize how much that hurts me" reproaching a lover who tries to maintain stoicism to the detriment of her feelings. The poignant lyrics that have always been the calling card of this songwriting duo almost seem to still be improving here in their (fourth? fifth?) release.
I've been building to my favorite song, 'Single Mother'. Lyrically it's simple, direct and honest. Maybe five lines to the whole song. It's the kind of song that made Jawbreaker great, deeply personal and without a hint of irony. The repeated line "I'm so terrified, so fucking terrified" grabbed a hold of me the very first time I listened to this record and still hasn't let go. The vibraphone/marimba shook me a bit the first time I heard but it seems to be a sign of the phenomenon I discussed in my Mixtapes review of pop-punk mixing with indie pop. Vocally, 'Single Mother' sees a return to the Ozzella/Kerns harmonies that first caught my attention on Get Better especially on the song 'Pants'.
My wrap-up shouldn't surprise anyone who is a regular reader of this blog. This split is another great offering from Lemuria with a decent Cheap Girls track thrown in as a bonus. I seldom regret a purchase less. You should go out and buy it for yourself. Seriously guys, they're such a great band.
Financial Support Goes Here
Cheap Girls / Lemuria
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