#SOTD: Lemuria – “Christine Perfect”
While most music blogs and magazines were putting the final touches on their year-end best of 2017 lists, Lemuria sneakily streamed out the release of their fourth LP Recreational Hate. For those not familiar with the indie rock trio, this album is a great introduction to a band whose sound has evolved immensely over the past decade. This is evident by the inclusion of an updated version of their song “Christine Perfect,” available on Spotify and Apple Music.
The song is an ode to the feeling of finding somebody who makes you “a better living person.” The title derives from prominent members of Fleetwood Mac, Christine Perfect aka Christine McVie, whom while a significant part of the band, often took a backseat to frontwoman Stevie Nicks. The song acknowledges this in the opening verse “I take comfort in being second best,” and stretches this across two and a half minutes of the kind of joy you can only get out of being in love.
Lemuria has been known for their melodies that dabble with discordant tendencies and a raw nature that gives them a bit of a punk edge. With this version of “Christine Perfect” they’ve flexed on their production value turning a raw sweet song into a flourishing pop song that is reminiscent of late ‘00s Mates of State, but with a more rock and roll edge.
Singer/guitarist Sheena Ozzella’s vocals are melodious but still come with an edge, while her guitar work doesn’t ever try to outdo the song. The guitar solo in the song has just the right amount of riffage that compliments the lyrics perfectly. She manages to rock out a little while staying true to the mood of the song itself. The essence of the lyrics is echoed by the guitar work in a roar of the overwhelming excitement of being in love. “Christine Perfect” captures this mood, well, perfectly.
Usually, when bands re-record old songs, there’s a tendency to overproduce and ultimately lose the soul of the original, but Lemuria avoids that trap by enhancing everything that makes the original song so good, to begin with. All the nuances added – extra little drum fills that keep the song moving and a bump in the chorus harmonies – make a song that is already catchy to begin with that much more infectious.
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