Lemonator
The Waltz
Spinefarm Records

Helsinki based pop-head quintet Lemonator plays sweet on The Waltz, their 3rd album. Melodic, keyboard-and-guitar-driven pop-rock with broken hearted lyrics. Catchy, yes, but they could've squeezed a lemon (or lime) or two to "sour" the sweetness a bit.

The press note says: "If your heart likes the sounds of Elliott Smith, Travis, Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters or Yo La Tengo, you'll love Lemonator." Well, I don't quite agree on that. Smith and Travis - maybe slightly on a couple of songs. I find them more to sound a bit like Kent (which isn't bad) and U2 (well...let's put it this way: I'm not a fan...). Lemonator play straight, and I get this feeling of listening to formatted pop songs for getting airplay. I also find many of their chorus' to sound quite slogan-like. But there are a couple of okay songs, such as the opening One Last Day, I Don't Want To Live Forever, and the balladish The Unbreakable Two. Otherwise most of The Waltz sounds too nice and clean for these ears, and it leaves me bored too quickly.

Sorry, Lemonator, but I'm more keen to hear your Lemotronix project: Kraftwerk influenced versions of Lemonator songs.

Copyright © 2001 Håvard Oppøyen