Cornershop – Judy Sucks A Lemon for Breakfast
Remember Cornershop? Of course you do. Back in ‘97 they dropped When I Was Born For The 7th Time…it was kind of an indie hit; I listened to it quite a bit at the time and periodically since. Nothing too adventurous, really, except that the incorporation of Indian musical elements was a bit novel then…and there are some solidly simple, enjoyable listens on the album that still hold up just fine in 2009.
I hadn’t heard much from them since…with the exception of Target using “Good Shit” on some TV ads (inexplicably changing the chorus to “Good stuff’s all around…”). Apparently they put out an LP in 2002 named Handcream for a Generation, which completely escaped my attention so I’m going to have to take it for a spin and see how it drives. The reason I bring this all up is because Cornershop released a new album last week, Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast.
The album has the same Brit-Pop sensibilities that we’ve come to expect from Cornershop, except this time classic rock-influenced guitar riffs (mixed with the sitar twang) are the dominant factor in the songs, especially in the first half (50 seconds of a random disco interlude on the 3rd track being the exception). Really, it’s like they put the Stones and the Allman Brothers into a blender, added some sitar and mixed on medium. And being that the opener is titled, “Who Fingered Rock ‘n Roll”, I suppose that makes sense, eh?
The ‘first half’ equates to three tracks in that vein before the 5th is another interlude-type thingy before getting into a vibe that’s more reminiscent of When I was Born…, starting off with “Free Love”, which is quintessentially Cornershop sounding, complete with what I assume are lyrics in an Indian dialect (non-English, at least). “The Roll Off Characteristics (of History in the Making)” reverts (in a good way) to the classic rock vibe, before heading into “Operation Push”, which at least for the moment is my favorite song on the album. It reminds me of a combination of When I Was Born’s “Sleep on the Left Side” and “Brimful of Asha”…catchy and fun, with a good combination of beats, riffs and hooks.
Tracks like the next to last on this album, “Camachu” are where Cornershop shines for me…a fairly condense instrumental that combines their many influences and allows you to just get down with their unique groove. Which brings up where they fall short for me, and that’s with Tjinder Singh’s vocal melodies…his singing is fine, but I feel like the melodies are never very adventurous…perhaps Singh simply understands his limitations and is working within them, but I’d like to hear some more variation in the verses…both in chord structures and melodies.
Judy…ends with a 16+ minute track, “The Turned On Truth (The Truth Is Turned On)”, a rambling mélange of gospel singing, Hammond organ, sitar, and three chords. Perhaps a more succinct 5 or 6 minutes would have sufficed for me, but at least it didn’t drive me to the point of wanting to shed blood or anything like that. In the end, the truth always triumphs, right?
I like Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast. Yeah, it could be better, but it’s nice to have Cornershop back, and to indulge in another taste of their Indian and classic-rock-influenced Brit-Pop, replete with plenty of sitar and lemon…liberally coated with sugar to cut any bitterness.
Cornershop – Operation Push
Cornershop – Chamchu
Official Cornershop Website
Cornershop’s MySpace
