"'64-'95", the third full album by the UK based group Lemon Jelly, represents a departure for the group that has made it's reputation on lengthy, stylized, and at times humorous electronic music.
One could say that "'64-'95" is a concept album. The tracks are presented in a continuously mixed style, which blend together smoothly as opposed to past efforts where each piece was left to stand individually. Most of the song titles begin with an abbreviated year and have and alias as well. Each alias is actually repeated in the track, so listen carefully.
Musically, "'64-'95" is a change for Lemon Jelly in that most of the tracks are very danceable. Unfortunately, Lemon Jelly seems to have given up on taking a theme and evolving it into full and deep musical piece like past albums.
"It Was," the short intro track, leads us quickly into the first music track "'88 aka Come Down On Me." "Come Down On Me" has a Nine Inch Nails "Pretty Hate Machine" feel to it with a wicked Jim Morrison sounding voice over. "'68 aka Only Time" features a massively slowed down vocal sample over a bouncy music track not unlike "The Staunton Lick" from one of Lemon Jelly's earlier EPs. "Only Time" fades out into "'93 aka Don't Stop Now," a rather slow hip-hop breakdown repetitive piece that urges one not to stop now. The R&B vocals on "'95 aka Make Things Right" lend a pop-ish sound to the layered acoustic guitar and drum tracks, that follow "Don't Stop Now." The album then continues on towards a pop-rock sounding track called "'79 aka The Shouty Track." This song features some shouting, of course, over heavy guitar riffing. Picking up after the last guitar feedback fades "'75 aka Stay With You" features a bumpy laid back groove complete with R&B vocal stylings and some scratch work that works nicely in the '70s feel of this number. The next track, "'76 aka The Slow Train," is definitely an homage to Lost Horizons "Nice Weather for Ducks." "The Slow Train" opens with some vocal jazz stylings that lay the foundation for the rhythm and feel of the piece. Like "Weather for Ducks," "Slow Train" has that child-like ambiance to it that reminds one of children's shows on public television. Moving on to the penultimate track, "'90 aka A Man Like Me," we are greeted with that '90s R&B boy band sound a la "Boyz II Men" with a vocal clip that could well have been lifted from on of their albums. Finally, we come to "'64 aka Go," the last and most musical track of the album. The song opens with a single base line that evolves into a melodic, ethereal, hard hitting vamp, complete with a gruff voice describing an endless trek towards eventual conflict and ending in a single word, "Go."
Track Listing:
- It Was... (0:23)
- '88 aka Come Down On Me (5:50)
- '68 aka Only Time (6:36)
- '93 aka Don't Stop Now (6:56)
- '95 aka Make Things Right (5:59)
- '79 aka The Shouty Track (3:41)
- '75 aka Stay With You (6:11)
- '76 aka The Slow Train (5:47)
- '90 aka A Man Like Me (5:09)
- '64 aka Go (6:21)