Because I felt badly about not gracing all of you with my regular website updates last year, I’ve been trying to break away my life distractions and my lack of motivation to get things rolling again. The question that vexed me was: How? And then, a few weeks ago, Gern Blandsten gave me the answer.
Does that name ring a bell? It did with me because it was part of an old Steve Martin joke and I was obsessed with Steve back when his comedy records were coming out. Obsessed to, I’m sure, the annoyance of everyone around me as I repeated his jokes. All I can say about that now is “well excuse me!”
But the Gern Blandsten I’m talking about has nothing to do with Steve Martin. It’s a record label, you see, and it popped up on my Threads feed with what seemed to be something of a “clearing out the warehouse” offer – “mystery boxes” of random CD’s for very low prices. I didn’t know most of the bands listed on their website, but something told me this was what I needed to help me get “out of the races and on to the tracks.” So, I ordered a box of 25 and started digging in.
Turns out Gern Blandsten Records has been issuing music for 30 years and they are having something of a “going out of business” sale with these mystery boxes. [And if you’re interested, they promise anyone who buys a CD mystery box will be given first opportunity at more limited vinyl offerings in the near future.] I’m sorry to hear they won’t be issuing new music, but decided I will dig into my new box of jewels (well, jewel cases) and share what I find. Which brings us to today’s entry: the self-titled album from New Jersey’s own All Natural Lemon & Lime Flavors.
This album was originally released in 1996, but this CD is the remastered version with extra tracks added in 2001. You’ll hear lots of elements of shoegaze, dream pop, and indie pop on these tracks. Opener “Muffin 57” sounds like it was clearly influenced by My Bloody Valentine; no shame in that as there are countless bands and songs out there with the same pedigree. Later songs like “Salad Forest” and “All The Time” have more of a pop sensibility, while “How Come?” is a bit more chaotic with noise rock overtones. I really liked “Nice Soup” which sounds like it could be a Flaming Lips demo. Closing track “Wondered Why” is a nice outro for this album. It floats along with a dreamy, but also uneasy, vibe. It sounds like the beginning of Sonic Youth’s “Teenage Riot” on a downer trip.
We’re off to a good start. Thank you, Gern Blandsten!
Catalogue number: GERN 051
Band members: Jeremy Winter, Joshua Booth, Marc Sorrillo, Steven Doherty and Brian Doherty