Deckchair Poets’ Searchin’ For a Lemon Squeezer

Title: Searchin’ For a Lemon Squeezer

Label: Angel Air

Well this is an intriguing one and no mistake. This outfit is a bit of a supergroup, on the quiet. It includes Lynden Williams (Jerusalem), Geoff Downes (Asia & Yes) and Nick D’Virgilio (Spock’s Beard). The band has already issued an album, Who Needs Pyjamas which was apparently a prog rock affair.

Listening to this album, it sounds like the band has changed focus from the prog genre to more classic rock as the songs are far more simple in their arrangement structure and straight down the line in terms of presentation.

It begins with a piece of whimsy, a humorous poem complete with sound effects called Deckchair Poem 1 which sets the scene on a typical English day out at the seaside.

The poem is light and unaffected and that goes for the music which trips off the CD in a sprightly manner. Whether that be Heartbreaker or the jazz-fused beats of We’re All Chasing Peter Pan, this 17 tracker sounds like the band had a fun time making this LP. I wouldn’t be surprised if the guys announced that it took no time to record too. The open and airy nature sounds like the band are singing in the sunshine on a beach somewhere.

At times, the rock presentation is innocent and rather naive in terms of its delivery, sometimes reminding me of some of the rocking glam acts of the 70s. You know the sort of thing, lots of wide-eyed lyrics, hand claps, reverb-laden vocals in the likes of the track, Quick Joey Small. Then there’s quirky moments from the likes of The Bus Goes On and We Like Tarts that revelas an album infused with humour and, shock horror, social commentary from the unlikley named title, Silicon Boobs.