Tag Archives: Lost Horizons

electronic, Groove, vocal samples

Lemon Jelly – LemonJelly.KY

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Lemon Jelly – Lemonjelly.KY
This is a light and fun electronica album pefect for bopping along to when you want to write. It’s also great album to bop along to while you’re cooking your dinner or even feeding the cat.

LemonJelly.KY was the first Lemon Jelly album, and is a mix of the first three EPs they released.

The thing that grabs you first about Lemon Jelly is the unique cover design. It’s no surprise that one half of Lemon Jelly is a graphic designer. You just want to play it when you see the brightly coloured looking cover which perfectly matches the music as well. It carries a real lightness about it.

It has been sampled and used in various soundtracks (Including one of my all-time favourite TV shows, SPACED) but this album works for anything.

Released
2001

Lyrics
Samples are used but it’s not a lyrical album. Sampes range from such great lines as ‘what do you do in the bath.’ Other songs like ‘the Staunton lick’ are pure instrumentals that work. One of my favourite’s Nervous tension uses samples from a South African psychologist’s album for relaxation.

The lyrics are of course quite incidental, so you will never have to worry that they will overwhelm you.

Mood
LemonJelly.KY and basically all of the Lemon Jelly music is great for doing anything. I don’t know anyone who doens’t feel lifted after they listen to Lemon Jelly. It doesn’t take over, but it definitely lightens everything up which is a good thing.

Good to work to
A very light album that works for everything.

Like
Upbeat house groove, and more generally electronic music. Obviously I’d say Lost Horizon the album by Lemon Jelly that came after this is in the same vibe, the other later albums (called 64-95) went in a more up-tempo direction, that is great but is not as friendly, which may be more helpful for wrinting. I’d say if you like this one,  definitely get lost horizon. It’s great.

I hesitate to compare this album with much else, as it has a real happy house, summer sound to it more than a particular musical sound.

The Artist/s
Lemon Jelly is Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. They are both from London, and were in the same crowd without ever being mates until ten years later. Deakin started a graphic arts company and DJ’d, while Franglen worked as a landscape gardner then as a studio programmer for some big acts (n.b. no idea what a studio planner is).

There early Eps went well they got picked up by a label and discovered people really liked their music. The first album in 2000 was Lemonjelly.KY, the second was this one, followed by 64-95 which is music using samples from each of the years. They decided to have a break in 2008, and their website says they’s be coming back.

Other works
Lemon Jelly’s later album Lost Horizon fits in the same mould, and just as good. There other major album is called ’64 to 95’ an album that is great but has a very different feel to this and Lost Horizon. I will have to have a think about whether or not I would put it in this category of good work albums, but  don’t think it will make it.

There is one extra piece I would recommend which was a kind of sampler mix tape they put together. My lady friend happened to get a copy of when she met the graphic designer for there albums at a conference. I never found out what it was called and it’s more a party album than a writing album, but it is also great.

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You should be able to get this album on CD and as MP3 most places. I did at one stage search for it on vinyl, but this is another of those rare treasures that don’t last long on vinyl and are a gazillion dollars second hand. At this stage I don’t think it is going to be repressed any time soon.

The Verdict
Another album I absolutely love. It is very easy going and light. Certainly not the album I’d use to listen to for every type of running.

electronic

Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons

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Lemon Jelly – Lost Horizons – Best music to write to

With track names like ‘Nice weather for ducks’,  ‘The curse of Ka’zar’, and ‘Return to Patagonia’ you can guess this is a fun album. It moves along at a nice pace and is a pleasure to listen to. Lemon Jelly sound like they have a lot of fun making their albums. They throw in lots of samples and ideas and create fun grooves, that consistently keep you moving along and your fingers typing.

The most distinctive thing about Lemon Jelly before you have heard their music is their cute visual style. You would be pardoned for thinking albums with such cute looking packaging could not fail to be a bit ordinary underneath it all. Luckily this is not the case with Lemon Jelly.

This is Lemon Jelly’s second album, but the first album was their first three Eps combined, so their second is the first real album in one sense. I am not sure whether all the tracks are more connected or not or whether it is just my imagination as both are great listens.

Released
2002

Lyrics
No lyrics, but some of the tracks have quite a few samples

Mood
This album is extremely light, like the earlier album it is uplifting and happy. It is tempting to just use it as an album to listen to while wandering around the house or cooking, but it is equally effective to help you when writing.

Good to work to
Indeed, very long grooves that give you time to really get into what you are concentrating on. Not every track is light in mood although the early ones are, and I find this makes it easier for me to start writing without getting distracted. The vocal samples are more used as instruments than vocals, they are mostly spoken in any event.

Like
I can’t really think of a direct comparison, except for their first album LemonJelly.KY. There are lots of electronic easy listening albums, but Lemon Jelly inject a combination of lightness, with organic and electronic sods that feels unforced and like some people you’d like to hang out with having fun.

The Artist/s  
Lemon Jelly is Fred Deakin and Nick Franglen. They are both from London, and were in the same crow of friends without ever being mates until ten years later. Deakin started a graphic arts company and DJ’d, while Franglen worked as a landscape gardner then as a studio programmer for some big acts (n.b. no idea what a studio planner is). In their brief career they won some awards and their music was used in various tv shows including the brilliant Simon Pegg vehicle ‘Spaced’.

There early Eps went well they got picked up by a label and discovered people really liked their music. The first album in 2000 was Lemonjelly.KY, the second was this one, followed by 64-95 which is music using samples from each of the years. They decided to have a break in 2008, and their website says they’s be coming back.

Other works
Lemon Jelly’s earlier album Lemonjelly.KY is an amalgam of the first three EPs that the cup put out and fits in the same mould. I will also review this album in due course. There other major album is called ’64 to 95’ an album that is great but has a very different feel to the two earlier albums. I will have to have a think about whether or not I would put it in this category of good work albums, but  don’t think it will make it. There is one extra piece I would recommend which was a kind of mix tape they put together that my lady friend happened to get a copy of when she met the graphic designer for there albums at a conference.

Where Can I buy it, and in what formats
You should be able to get this album  on CD and as MP3 most places. I did at one stage search for it on vinyl, but this is another of those rare treasures that don’t last long on vinyl. At this stage I don’t think it is going to be repressed any time soon.

The Verdict
Definitely a great album to write to. Also a great album to bounce around the kitchen to.