Sound ... Goodbye to Your Standards
studio
Artistthe Mighty Lemon Drops
CoverSound ... Goodbye to Your Standards.jpg
Released1991
GenreAlternative rock
LabelSire/Reprise[1]
ProducerAndy Paley
Prev year1989
Next year1992

Sound ... Goodbye to Your Standards is an album by the English band the Mighty Lemon Drops, released in 1991.[2][3]

The album's first single was "Unkind", which peaked at No. 28 on Billboard's Modern Rock Tracks chart.[4][5] The band supported the album by touring with Sister Double Happiness; they were also part of the ill-fated 1991 festival A Gathering of the Tribes.[6][7][8]

Production

The album was produced by Andy Paley.[9] About half of the songs were written by guitar player David Newton.[10] The album was recorded live in the studio, in about two weeks.[11] Most of its songs are about relationship issues.[12]

Critical reception

Trouser Press wrote: "Stumbling through faint stabs at blues, beat-era rock'n'roll and ravedelia, the group sounds lost and bored, a plight exacerbated by the dire production, which is not only flat and sloppy but inconsistent at that."[10] Spin panned the "excessive echo, non-distinct, nondescript vocals, and inefficient layers of guitar."[13] The Indianapolis Star opined that "the Drops nearly redeem the lackluster material with some sterling performances."[14]

The St. Petersburg Times determined that "dream-like melodies, stoked by '60s-flavored rhythms, steal effective moments in cuts such as 'Unkind', 'My Shadow Girl' and 'Too High'."[15] The Los Angeles Times deemed the album "perhaps the group's best effort, due to pop-master Andy Paley's production and musical collaboration."[16] The Calgary Herald stated: "Soft and accessible, it's also too safe and a little bit too familiar."[17]

AllMusic wrote that "Sound is a reminder of how most alternative rock, in the months before Nirvana broke, was just as boring and predictable as anything in the mainstream."[18]

References

  1. ^ Racine, Marty (June 9, 1991). "Sound... The Mighty Lemon Drops". Houston Chronicle. p. 15.
  2. ^ "The Mighty Lemon Drops Biography, Songs, & Albums". AllMusic
  3. ^ Jennings, Dave (Jun 22, 1991). "Albums — Sound by the Mighty Lemon Drops". Melody Maker. Vol. 67, no. 25. p. 33.
  4. ^ Kim, Jae-Ha (September 30, 1991). "Lemon Drops offer tart, tight musicianship". Chicago Sun-Times. p. 34.
  5. ^ "The Mighty Lemon Drops". Billboard
  6. ^ Heim, Chris (27 Sep 1991). "Mighty Lemon Drops and Sister Double Happiness". Chicago Tribune. p. N.
  7. ^ Catlin, Roger (September 19, 1991). "What's New". Hartford Courant. p. 5.
  8. ^ Shuster, Fred (June 28, 1991). "Rock News & Notes". Los Angeles Daily News. p. L32.
  9. ^ Harbaugh, Chris (June 7, 1991). "Recordings on Review". Dayton Daily News. p. 17.
  10. ^ "Mighty Lemon Drops". Trouser Press. Retrieved 19 March 2022.
  11. ^ Harris, Paul A. (September 19, 1991). "Lemon Drops Band Is Not Soured on the 'Mersey' Beat". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. p. 8.
  12. ^ Perez, Steven (June 14, 1991). "Pop that won't rot your teeth". The Tampa Tribune. p. 19.
  13. ^ O'Connor, Rob (Jul 1991). "Spins". Spin. Vol. 7, no. 4. p. 77.
  14. ^ Lucas, Tim (1 July 1991). "The Mighty Lemon Drops Sound". The Indianapolis Star. p. C2.
  15. ^ Hall, Dave (14 June 1991). "The Mighty Lemon Drops Sound". St. Petersburg Times. p. 16.
  16. ^ Washburn, Jim (20 Sep 1991). "These Lemon Drops Could Use a Fresher Flavor". Los Angeles Times. p. 22.
  17. ^ Alberts, Sheldon (26 May 1991). "Recent Releases". Calgary Herald. p. E5.
  18. ^ "Sound". AllMusic