:Lemon Demon is the musical project of one Neil Cicierega. His earlier work is a bit rough around the edges, but overall his music is pretty good.
I'll be reviewing album by album, and choosing a few standout tracks from each. I'll be going in order of release as well, excluding EPs. Ratings will be out of 10
The first album by LD is a self titled one. "Lemon Demon" the album is kinda shit and I don't really like it that much, but I do appreciate the bizarre storytelling of "Bowling alley". Rating it 2/10 because I hate it
The second album "Live From The Haunted Candle Shop" is also a tough listen, but Neil's instrumentel prowess saves it from being worse than the album before it. Favorite Track: Hydroelectric Viking. 4/10
Hip to The Javabean is honestly pretty good, just Neil's voice holds it back a bit. Most of the songs are pretty catchy and Neil's style really starts to develop. I quite appreciate the rock influences in this album and the next few, and I'm a little disappointed he stepped away from that style in his later albums. This album is also where Neil starts to make the songs flow into each other from one track to the next. Favorite Track(s): Relativity, I've Got Some Falling to do. Very nice album 7/10.
Damn Skippy is probably my favorite LD album. All of the songs are unique and catchy, and I personally think that this was the point were Neil "peaked" with his instrumental composition. In this album the influences from artists like "They Might Be Giants" are really apparent. There are many songs in this album with (shockingly) real recorded guitar that sounds (in my opinion) pretty damn nice with the other melodic instruments and synthesizers. Favorite Track(s): Flamingo Legs, Subtle Oddities, Word Disassociation. Definitely underrated in terms of LD albums 8.5/10
Dinosaurchestra is pretty mediocre, but I do still like it. There's not much to say about it; the sound is a little bit different than Damn Skippy, but not quite the same style of View Monster. This album feels more like a collection of bonus tracks to other albums than a cohesive project compared to other albums. Favorite Track: The Ultimate Showdown. Obviously. 7/10
View Monster is good. The album has some great cohesion and I personally consider it to be a concept album. The in-between tracks really enhance the album as a whole, but they are kinda unnecessary in the long run, and none are especially unique. I really do like how it feels like a continuation of Damn Skippy and Dinosaurchestra, with way better production and singing. Neil's songwriting is really good, especially in this album, and the fact that he finally had developed a voice that could sing the songs well is really nice. This album feels like a nice summer evening as a kid, lying on the grass and looking up at the sky just before it turns dark. Really nostalgic for me in a weird way. Favorite track(s): The Only House That's Not on Fire (Yet), The Machine. 8/10.
I DO NOT LIKE Spirit Phone. Extremely overrated. The only redeeming quality of it for me is the production. I think Neil was really TRYING to make a "concept album" but he honestly falls flat compared to his earlier stuff. I dislike the synthpop style he gradually changed to, and while each song individually has an interesting story that's told well, as an actual CONCEPT ALBUM they aren't really connected through anything other than the general theme of being """"spooky"""". I think the bonus tracks are LEAGUES better than the actual album both conceptually and musically. Neil really has become a good composer, I'm just not a fan of Spirit Phone. It just feels a little corny in a way that is not my thing. Favorite Track(s): Eighth Wonder, Kubrick and The Beast, You're at The Party. 6/10
Welp thats mostly all I have to say. I really like Lemon Demon overall but I definetely prefer his older stuff. I really like his instrumentals, and even his cheesy MIDI music. All I really wish for is for him to make more stuff in the more "alt rock"-y style of some of his older music. Overall as a musician I'd rate him 8/10.