Editor’s Note: Our new, recurring “Albumism Recommends” series aims to shine a bright light on our favorite albums of the past, with an emphasis on the records that arguably never achieved the widespread or sustained attention they rightfully deserve. As you’ll see below, unlike our longer-form feature articles, we’ve intentionally kept the accompanying commentary to a minimum, so as to allow the great music to speak for itself.
We hope that you enjoy discovering (or rediscovering) these musical treasures and if you like what you hear, we encourage you to spread the good word far and wide so that others can experience these under-the-radar classics as well.
ARTIST: The Lemonheads
TITLE: Car Button Cloth
RELEASED: October 15, 1996
LABEL: Atlantic
NOTABLE TRACKS: “6IX” | “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You” | “The Outdoor Type”
This album was the third, and final, album released to fulfill The Lemonheads’ contract with Atlantic Records, and, while It’s A Shame About Ray (1992) and Come On Feel The Lemonheads (1993) earned both critical and fan acclaim, this one fell under the radar. The album is a bit uneven—there isn’t really a unifying sound and/or theme—but it’s an enjoyable listen and there are several standout tracks, including “If I Could Talk I’d Tell You” (written with Eugene Kelly of The Vaselines), “6IX” (about the Brad Pitt movie Se7en, with a chorus of “Here comes Gwyneth’s head in a box”), and “The Outdoor Type” (about pretending to be outdoorsy when one is, woefully, not).
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