Steven Lemon is a man of many sonic moods, and his new album …a strange pale blue displays them all, from full-on rocker to delicate digital balladry and everything in between and it is with the latter sound, he opens the album, “The Radio and Me”, a gentle, spacious song full of liquid sonics and subtle sounds.
“We Better Go” sits at the other end of the spectrum. It is an indie-rock groover replete with a slick guitar solo, sounding not unlike Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, had they gone down a much more pop-infused route but built of similar textures and instrumentation.
An ode to “Velma Daisy Dinkley” speaks volumes about Steven. Not only does he favour Scooby Do’s resident brainiac over Daphne, the so-called hot one (it is the old Breakfast Club debate of Ally Sheedy vs Molly Ringwald), but he also advocates a return to the world of Dungeons and Dragons and does that, and more, over a gorgeously understated tune. My god, he’s one of us! And this is a song that shimmers with geek chic.
“This Old Man” has a touch of Yacht Rock running through its veins, “Chipping Away” skirts the world of Randy Newman, and “Bones” is a drifting, 80s-infused, ambient piece that gently plays us out.
I love this album. It is wonderfully nostalgic, wears its nerdy heart on its sleeve, and is full of great songs. If there weren’t an ocean between us, I would put money on the fact that Steven and I would have set up a regular Talisman board game session by the end of the month!
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