Lemuria: Get Better

I remember seeing Jay Reatard a few months back, and some dude was was either pissed about being at that show, or just wanted to get Jay all riled up (kind like that time he punched a kid), but he went up to the stage, and placed a note next to Jay's set list that read, "Pop-punk sucks, go to hell." I laughed, but the truth is there's nothing that can make my heart skip-a-beat faster than my semi-unhealthy obsession with the energetic, jovial sound of pop punk. As cheesy as that sounds, it's totally true...but probably not exactly what you're thinking of either. By "pop-punk," I'm not referring to Blink-182, Green Day, or more contemporary mainstream stuff (though I love that stuff too), I'm talking about the likes of The Descendents, Screeching Weasel, The Queers, The Ergs, etc. just to name a few.

Sheena Ozzella fronts Buffalo, New York pop punk band, Lemuria along with Alex Kerns and Jason Draper. They've been around since the fall of 2004, leaving a lasting impression on all of their audiences. They have two full-length releases on Asian Man Records and their catchy, sing-along sound, mixed with Sheena's super cute, girly voice has instantly made them one of my new favorites.

Their two LPs include, The First Collection, which has all of their tracks from previous EPs and splits compiled onto one convenient album, and Get Better which is their newest effort, released in 2008.

Can You See The Sunset's review said:

Get Better takes the best parts of rough-edged pop-punk and washes them with little bit of indie rock into something catchy, earnest, believable. Sappy, a bit off-kilter, and unrefined rough around the edges, this shouldn’t work but it does. Get Better is unpolished and better because of that.

The female/male dual vocals of Sheena Ozzella and Alexander Kerns are filled with tension and are the “it” factor that makes this album totally amazing. Kerns vocals are subdued and restrained while Ozzella’s are much brighter and way more in-your-face and together (especially when harmonizing) it is so f’ing good that I’m struggling for words to describe this.

I agree. If you like pop-punk remotely, or even if you're into indie pop, girl vocals, whatever, there is something in this album that everyone can get into. The other night, Janine and I went up to London to go to a show. We we're in a room with around 80 people. Give or take 20 we're female. It's SO great to see a woman fronting such a male-dominated music genre, and doing such an awesome job while she's at it.

This video is pretty low-quality if you actually want to check out what they sound like. BUT, this video shows them in all of their punk glory. Tons of sing alongs. Tons of stage dives...and tons of high-fives. You can also see how much Sheena rips at guitar. I'd suggest checking out to their myspace for better recordings, OR you can tune in to Milk and Vodka tomorrow night (Monday, February 16th) from 5-6. Nicole and I are going through some of our favorite femcon for the show, and I'll slip in a few Lemuria tracks for all of your listening pleasure. LISTEN! www.cjam.ca