Like the pleasant warmth of a bright sun on a crisp fall day, the sound of Los Angeles's Lemon Sun melts away the chill of a dreary day and wraps you in soothing comfort.
This quintet is more than a sappy self-indulgent shoe-gazing band; these boys and girl mix their elixir with equal parts spine-vibrating rhythms, toe-tapping melodies, and honest insightful lyrics. Each song on their self-titled debut EP provides a diverse mix of elements that reflect the fun of Britpop while paying homage to the guttural rawness of Elliot Smith and Tom Waits.
"The Answers" is an addictive crowd favorite—Kolar's gravely vocals and intense lyrics juxtapose intermittently poppy melodies while the rhythm section supplies a rich bass foundation, strong beats, and spaces in all the right places.
The melancholy lilt of "The Devil Thinks" is a soundtrack to an exasperated but poignant lullaby describing the tenuous balance between regret and redemption. In "Out Tonight", Kolar's voice rides the edge of impassioned desperation amidst keyboards and background vocals that capture the brilliance of The Cure's curious uncertainty with a mix of classic rock guitars.
"The Face" is a pure pleasure ditty, complete with power pop chords and background vocals that combine the best of riot grrrl immediacy and doo-op innocence. If this tune doesn't make you shake your groove thing, you need to recalibrate your fun meter. "Through These Doors" paints a picture of yearning against a landscape of lush guitars and fun keyboard rhythms. The song implores "Do you feel it? Come on and feel it … Come for us." It's enough to make a New York girl make a trip to Hell-ay, just to feel Knight's bass vibrate though the floorboards.
The diversity of Kolar's delivery combines with the band's limber melodic and rhythmic talents to create a synergistic sensation that already has major labels and indie imprints chomping at the bit. Performing together for a mere few months, Lemon Sun has already opened for The Killers and British Sea Power at the Long Beach Arena, and played to capacity crowds at the famed Knitting Factory. These prolific songwriters have a lot more tunes in the pipeline, many of which they're currently performing live—if you're lucky enough to be in the LA area, check them out at an upcoming show. For the rest of us, thank the rock gods for itunes, myspace and cdbaby.