Standout Track: No. 1, “Lemons,” is a spacey, art-noise piece about a woman rifling through her kitchen in the morning and cutting up a lemon. Sounds include pots and pans clattering, as well as chewing, and protracted yawning and wailing, after approximately one minute of which the listener discovers that vocalist Tristana Fiscella really likes lemons. (The next six minutes are merely elaboration.)
“I like lemons,” Fiscella sighs, stretching the words out and speeding them up to suit her fancy. Her voice becomes an instrument along with the spare sounds of Rebecca Mills’ laptop and drummer Amanda Huron’s improvised beats.
Musical Motivation: The simple lyrics have an equally simple explanation. “When I was a kid, I used to bring lemons to school in a plastic baggie and eat them,” Fiscella says. “I love lemons. Sorry, I know that’s kinda boring.”
Fan Reaction: “Sometimes I’ll see someone in the audience yawn during it, or one of my friends will tell me the song made them yawn,” Fiscella says of the contagious nature of the yawn effect on the track. “I take it as a compliment.”
Still, “Lemons” is tough to perform live. “I have to work up to that one,” says Fiscella. When the song is coming up, the singer starts looking tired and pretending to yawn. “I find it’s a challenge to make the yawns sound luscious and seductive,” she says. “I only did a real one once at a show, maybe at the Warehouse. It’s like faking an orgasm.” —Rachel Beckman