The Lemonheads were (are? were?) bloody brilliant, this much we know. But the first three Lemonheads albums weren't just about Evan Dando crooning like a forgetful surfing choirboy: there was also Ben Deily to contend with.
Ben Deily buggered off away from The Lemonheads in 1989 and, while Dando went on his quest to take all the drugs in the universe, Deily went off to join the heady world of advertising. But now he's back, in the form of Varsity Drag, with a punchy little album by the name of For Crying Out Loud.
Some albums are like meandering little journeys that allow the listener to pick up subtle new intricacies with each listen. But For Crying Out Loud by Varsity Drag isn't like that – within four seconds of album opener Skinny Ties, you know exactly what you're in for. And that's total unapologetic foot to the floor exhilarating melodic power pop-punk from beginning to end.
Power pop-punk, that's almost become a swearword these days. Blink 182 do power pop-punk. Avril Lavigne does power pop-punk. McFly do power pop-punk. And none of them do it particularly well, at least not compared to For Crying Out Loud by Varsity Drag. Ben Deily and his troupe have crafted nine completely bulletproof tunes perfect for summertime driving, or summertime leaping around in your bedroom like a teenager. Or, you know, stuff.
It's good to see that Ben Deily's energy hasn't been entirely sapped by having to think up advertising campaigns for all sorts of shonky products and services – in fact, For Crying Out Loud contains some of the peppiest tunes we've heard all year. Look At Me sets off like whippet down a bobsleigh track, Summertime skips and bobs and harmonises around without ever straying from the manic propulsion keeping it going, and Starfish is stuffed with more gorgeous "ooohs" than should really be legal.
If we were to pick holes in For Crying Out Loud by Varsity Drag, we'd say that the production is a bit too spit and sawdust for some tastes; a bit of extra sheen would bring the songs to life even more. Plus the whole thing can sound a little dated at times; Billy Ruane – a song about "the best dressed drunk I ever met" – sounds like the theme-tune to forgotten mid-nineties BBC2 sitcom Game On, and you have to question the timeliness of an album containing a song called 1999 with the line "2001 is around the bend."
But we're nitpicking, and after one listen of For Crying Out Loud by Varsity Drag you'll be frantically pogoing around too much to even care.
Now buy For Crying Out Loud by Varsity Drag at Amazon
[story by Stuart Heritage]