Lemuria - The First Collection

This is my favourite Lemuria LP, and I say that not in a "their earlier stuff was better" way but just because it has the largest number of my favourite Lemuria songs on it. And given that there's 18 songs it's no wonder really. Certainly Keep Quiet, The Origamists and Home for the Holidays would all be in my top-five Lemuria songs, if I ever had to make such a list (putting them in order is an even bigger task). The latter two really make the most of Alex and Sheena's different voices and Home for the Holidays was an instant favourite. Strangely, Keep Quiet plays before Rough Draft despite what the sleeve says.

I bought this LP on my first-ever trip to Banquet Records in Kingston. I'd bought Banquet's cd release of Lemuria's first proper album Get Better in Spillers a year beforehand, but didn't tie the two things together until I was in the shop that day (I'd only just found out that the shop even existed at this point and probably hadn't looked at the back of my Lemuria cd in those few days). I bought a lot of records on that first trip (something you can read more about here) and I'd heard good things of this record. I also bought a Dave House cd that day, who we'd seen supporting Lemuria when they played in Swansea; I had no idea that he worked in the shop at that point. Anyway, this is the Yo-Yo Records release on black vinyl.


Format: 12", insert
Tracks: 18
Cost: £9 new
Bought: Banquet Records, Kingston
When: 18/01/10
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Lemuria - Varoom Allure

I won't lie, I did buy this mostly because of the etching. I like Lemuria a lot, but not quite £7-on-a-7"-record. Still, the two songs here are really good. Varoom Allure is short but has a great beat to it; two key ingredients of a good single. Cannonballs to Hurt is pretty good too, so I don't feel screwed spending £7 on it.

The etching is lovely though, although not so impressive on black vinyl (the gold vinyl looked incredible). It just about comes out in the last picture. It was a Record Store Day release that Banquet got in a few weeks later.


Format: 7", insert
Tracks: 2
Cost: £7 new
Bought: Banquet
When: 09/05/12
Colour: black
Etching: picture
mp3s: download

Lemuria - Pebble

Another one I got at the No Idea Yard Sale. I saw Lemuria the day before at Fest, but it was early on a long day and I didn't fancy carrying LPs around with me all day (again). The record came out ages before and I saw them twice in the summer in Kingston, but didn't buy it then either. I'm not sure why I put it off so long. I like their other two records a lot and figured I'd be into this one too. Better late than never I suppose.

It sounds different to the previous records. I guess the normal way to describe it would be "more mature". It still sounds like them, just somehow more relaxed. It works. I like Gravity as an opener; I'm a big fan of an intro song that's not quite a full song itself. I've always enjoyed the dual vocals, in fact I've kinda wished they'd do it more. Bloomer is an odd one lyrically. Actually, a lot of the songs have quite cutting lyrics in different ways. Durian just reminds me of the time I ate durian; it doesn't taste good. There are pretty much no gaps between the songs on here, just straight from one to the next. I read that Hüsker Dü used to do that in live shows so no one had a chance to comment to their friends what they thought of the show. I like it on albums too (side note: makes it a bitch to make mp3s with the usb turntable. The LP came with a download code but it didn't work, so I'm still mp3less on this one). I should listen to this record more often, it got a little bit caught up in the whirlwind of record buying at Fest, and a bit neglected upon my return. I don't know if the tunes are as obvious and noticeable on here (except Chautauqua County - oh oh oh's always get me), but I do like the record as a whole.

Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 10
Cost: £5.58 new
Bought: No Idea yard sale
When: 30/10/11
Colour: black
Etching: no
mp3s: download code