Varshons
Varshons is the ninth studio album by American alternative rock band the Lemonheads, released on June 23, 2009, through The End Records.[1][2] The album consists entirely of cover songs curated by frontman Evan Dando and produced by Gibby Haynes of the Butthole Surfers, drawing from a diverse range of influences including punk, country, and psychedelia.[3][4] Featuring 11 tracks with guest vocal appearances by models Kate Moss and Liv Tyler, Varshons marked the band's return after a decade-long hiatus from full-length releases.[5] The project originated from Dando's mixtape-sharing sessions with Haynes, who helped select tracks spanning artists like GG Allin, Townes Van Zandt, and Leonard Cohen.[3] Recording took place across studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts; New York City; Indianapolis; and Brooklyn, with Dando handling vocals and guitar on all songs.[6] The album's eclectic song choices reflect Dando's broad tastes, blending raw punk energy with introspective folk elements, and it was mixed by Anthony Saffrey, formerly of Cornershop.[5] Key tracks include the haunting cover of Townes Van Zandt's "Waiting Around to Die," the punk-infused take on Gram Parsons' "I Just Can't Take It Anymore," and an unexpected electro-pop rendition of Christina Aguilera's "Beautiful."[7] Other highlights feature Wire's "Fragile," Sam Gopal's "Yesterlove" (written by Lemmy Kilmister), and Leonard Cohen's "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye," the latter featuring Liv Tyler's backing vocals.[5] The full track listing is:- "I Just Can't Take It Anymore" (Gram Parsons)
- "Fragile" (Wire)
- "Layin' Up with Linda" (GG Allin)
- "Waiting Around to Die" (Townes Van Zandt)
- "The Green Fuz" (The Fuzz)
- "Yesterlove" (Sam Gopal)
- "Dirty Robot" (Arling & Cameron, feat. Kate Moss)
- "Dandelion Seeds" (Darlings)
- "New Mexico" (The Billy Nayer Show)
- "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (Leonard Cohen, feat. Liv Tyler)
- "Beautiful" (Christina Aguilera).[6]
Background
Conception
The Lemonheads conceived Varshons during their reformation period from 2005 to 2008, following a nearly decade-long hiatus that began after the band's 1997 breakup amid frontman Evan Dando's escalating drug addiction and personal turmoil in the late 1990s.[9][10] This covers album marked the band's first full-length release since their self-titled effort in 2006, serving as a creative bridge while Dando worked on original material.[11] Dando opted to focus on covers to delve into his diverse musical influences, a shift from original songwriting that allowed him to reinterpret tracks without the immediate pressures of personal recovery and band reinvention after years of substance abuse and instability.[12][9] The project originated partly from mixtapes curated by Butthole Surfers' Gibby Haynes, a close friend who also produced the album, blending Dando's selections with Haynes' suggestions to highlight eclectic sources.[12] This approach evolved from the band's earlier alternative rock sound on albums like It's a Shame About Ray (1992), expanding into broader reinterpretations of punk, folk, and alternative influences.[11] In 2008, the band announced their signing to Brooklyn-based The End Records, emphasizing Varshons' unusual track selections drawn from punk (e.g., G.G. Allin), folk, and alternative genres to showcase Dando's interpretive style.[13] Specific inspirations included Dando's longstanding admiration for artists like Gram Parsons and Townes Van Zandt, whose obscure songs he chose to reimagine, reflecting his affinity for country-folk roots amid the band's post-hiatus experimentation.[11][14]Band lineup
The core lineup for Varshons consisted of a stable trio: Evan Dando on vocals and guitar, Vess Ruhtenberg on bass, and Devon Ashley on drums and percussion.[15] This configuration reformed in 2005 following significant lineup shifts in the 1990s and the band's hiatus after 1997. Dando, the band's founder and primary creative force, had pursued solo work during the interim, including albums like Baby I'm Bored (2003), before reassembling this rhythm section for renewed activity. This trio marked a departure from earlier 1990s setups, such as those featuring Juliana Hatfield on bass for albums like It's a Shame About Ray (1992), emphasizing a leaner, more consistent unit post-hiatus.[16] Ruhtenberg and Ashley, both formerly of the band The Pieces, first provided continuity to the rhythm section on The Lemonheads' 2006 self-titled album, carrying that stability into Varshons three years later.[17] The group operated without full-time additional members, relying instead on select guest contributions for sonic variety.[18]Production
Recording sessions
The recording sessions for Varshons took place in 2008 across multiple studios, including Queensize Twin Air in Indianapolis, Indiana (for tracks 1 and 8), Camp Street Studios in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Fourth Ave. Recording in New York, New York, and Vacation Island Recording in Brooklyn, New York.[1][4] These sessions were characterized by a casual, collaborative atmosphere that emphasized spontaneous performances to honor the original covers' spirit.[19] Producer Gibby Haynes, frontman of the Butthole Surfers, was involved from the outset, co-curating song selections drawn from his mixtapes shared with Evan Dando over the years and guiding vocal deliveries to infuse a punk edge while keeping arrangements close to the sources.[11][19] The approach prioritized raw, live-like energy through jam-oriented takes and minimal overdubs—for instance, the track "Beautiful" was captured in a single take—allowing the band's chemistry to shine without heavy production layers.[19] Engineering duties were handled by Matt Boynton on most tracks, with Adam Taylor and Alex Hartman contributing to instruments on track 6, and Daniel Rey recording vocals for several songs; mixing was completed by Anthony Saffrey.[4] This setup enabled a loose workflow that reflected the album's mixtape-inspired conception as an experimental outlet for the band.[14]Key personnel and guests
The production of Varshons was helmed by Gibby Haynes, frontman of the Butthole Surfers, whose involvement stemmed from mixtapes he curated for Lemonheads leader Evan Dando, infusing the album with an eclectic, punk-inflected chaos that guided the arrangement of its diverse covers.[20][12] Haynes' approach emphasized raw energy and unconventional song choices, blending folk, garage rock, and electronic elements to create a disheveled yet cohesive sound that distinguished the album from the band's prior work.[21] Notable guest vocalists included actress Liv Tyler, who contributed to the Leonard Cohen cover "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" in a duet with Dando, her ethereal harmonies adding an intimate, vulnerable layer to the track's acoustic folk arrangement.[22][23] Similarly, model Kate Moss provided vocals on "Dirty Robot," a synth-driven rendition of the Arling & Cameron original, where her breathy delivery lent a detached, lounge-like haze that enhanced the song's quirky, electronic vibe.[24][25] Additional musician John Perry, guitarist from The Only Ones, appeared on five tracks—including "I Just Can't Take It Anymore," "Layin' Up with Linda," "Dandelion Seeds," "New Mexico," and "Beautiful"—where his lead and feedback guitar work introduced jagged textures and melodic depth, bridging the album's folkier moments with its rock edges.[6] Perry's contributions, often featuring tambourine and backing vocals, amplified the raw, live-wire feel Haynes aimed for, particularly on punk-leaning covers.[21] The album's visual identity was shaped by art direction from Evan Dando and Mike Joyce, with Joyce also handling design duties; the cover painting by Mark Dagley evoked a Spirograph pattern on the front and paid homage to the Sex Pistols' Never Mind the Bollocks rear sleeve on the back, tying into the record's rebellious, retro aesthetic.[4] This packaging reinforced the chaotic, mixtape-inspired ethos, visually echoing the personnel's collaborative spirit.[26]Musical content
Song selections and style
Varshons features an eclectic selection of 11 cover songs drawn from a diverse array of artists and genres, including punk tracks by GG Allin and Wire, folk compositions by Townes Van Zandt and Leonard Cohen, garage rock from Randy Alvey & The Green Fuz, and pop from Christina Aguilera, reflecting a mixtape-like curation that spans decades from the 1960s to the early 2000s.[24][5][21] The Lemonheads reinterpret these originals through their signature hazy, slacker rock lens, infusing boppy alt-rock arrangements with overcast tones, acoustic-driven elements, and Evan Dando's whiskey-soaked tenor vocals that deliver a melancholic, introspective twist to the source material.[24][21][5] Tracks are often shortened for brevity and heightened energy, such as Wire's "Fragile," transformed into a light, sing-along country setpiece.[24][5][27] Thematically, the album evokes nostalgia, rebellion, and introspection, with recurring motifs of love, destruction, mortality, and personal reflection threaded through murder ballads, drug-hazed narratives, and tales of romantic turmoil, all recontextualized to emphasize emotional poignancy over the originals' raw edges.[24][21][5] Notable adaptations include imparting a punk-inflected edge to folk songs via jubilant guitar solos and harmonies, as in the country-tinged take on GG Allin's "Layin' Up with Linda," while garage rock like "The Green Fuz" is slowed to a trippy, psychedelic pace, and pop tracks such as Aguilera's "Beautiful" receive an understated, wounded country treatment that avoids direct replication.[21][24][5] These choices blend classic Americana simplicity with strung-out psychedelia and occasional electropop contrasts, underscoring the band's alternative rock identity through personal yet faithful reinterpretations.[28][5]Track listing
The standard edition of Varshons features 11 cover songs with no original compositions by the band, totaling 33:11 in length.[1][29]| No. | Title | Original artist | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "I Just Can't Take It Anymore" | Gram Parsons | 3:02 |
| 2. | "Fragile" | Wire | 1:19 |
| 3. | "Layin' Up with Linda" | GG Allin | 2:17 |
| 4. | "Waiting Around to Die" | Townes Van Zandt | 2:22 |
| 5. | "The Green Fuz" | Randy Alvey & The Green Fuz | 2:48 |
| 6. | "Yesterlove" | Sam Gopal | 4:30 |
| 7. | "Dirty Robot" (feat. Kate Moss) | Arling & Cameron | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Dandelion Seeds" | July | 3:31 |
| 9. | "New Mexico" | FuckEmos | 3:41 |
| 10. | "Hey, That's No Way to Say Goodbye" (feat. Liv Tyler) | Leonard Cohen | 3:04 |
| 11. | "Beautiful" | Christina Aguilera | 3:45 |