Lemuria: Get Better (2008)-Constantine Koutsoutis
Lemuria: Get Better (2008)
By Constantine Koutsoutis
Friggin’ finally!
Get Better, the first proper full-length from Buffalo, NY’s Lemuria, is fantastic. Formed in 2004, this indie/pop-punk trio mixes the best parts of Husker Du, sweet-as-Splenda female vocals, and intelligent lyrics that just blow me away. This album delivers and more.
Having mostly released through a collection of vinyl-only 7-inches and splits with great bands like The Ergs! and Kind Of Like Spitting, Get Better is Lemuria at their peak of mature and intricate pop-punk. From the slow but still touchingly catchy, “Lipstick,” to the wonderful “Shut up, shut up…,” singalong of the album closer, “Mechanical,” almost every moment of this album is guaranteed to have you totally in your head. You’ll sing along and wish you were at one of their shows, arm in arm with some random stranger who lit your cigarette outside earlier, or under the covers laughing and in love with someone you care about.
Getting to hear “Mechanical” alone is probably worth getting this album, but the whole thing should definitely be in your stereo – the soundtrack to makeout sessions and parties and good times and heartaches for many days and weeks to come. Bands like this, made up mostly of honesty and a desire for fun and to just play music, don’t really come along that often. So you should get into them while they’re around. Start with this record.
Copyright C. 2008 Constantine Koutsoutis