aquadonia: Song Solstice - Summer 2024 - Day 18

Day 18 - Lemon Demon

Pic from his 'Mouth Foods' album cover, which is under Neil Cicierega.

And for Day 18 ,we're taking a little side trip into the weird and obscure world of Neil Cicierega's project, Lemon Demon. You can thank my now adult kid for this, and I mean that in a positive way. Read more to find out why!

Who the hell is Neil Cicierega, you ask? I would have had no clue at all myself if it hadn't been for my kid and one of their besties discovering his project, Lemon Demon. For those of you who may be familiar, Neil was actually the person behind the Potter Puppet Pals, which was quite popular with Potterheads around the mid 2000s. (See links at the end of the post to explore more of his world.) He started releasing music under Lemon Demon back in 2003, with 2014's Nature Tapes being the parent album of today's feature track, the wonderfully weird “My Trains”.

Nature Tapes album cover. Kinda looks like Jason Bateman in a Pinocchio nose, no?

When I chose this track, I didn't think about the title of day 13's feature track by Porcupine Tree, the nostalgic “Trains”. I wasn't trying to do a resurface theme of any kind; these songs are so incredibly opposite in feel and meaning that the only thing they have in common is that they are songs that reference trains in some way. That said, Lemon Demon is a unique piece of the electronic music landscape, filled with pop culture references from the 80s, 90s and beyond, as one of many vehicles for Neil to get all of the weirdness and goofy shit out of his brain. It's a strangely fun and playful project, sometimes flailing into the 'what am I even listening to, lol?' category that makes me like it even more.

Where “My Trains” fits into this is as a bop of a track—laced with profanity—that talks about the narrator's interest and obsession with his model trains. Lyrically, the song begins with the model train enthusiast bringing you into the basement where he keeps his collection and track, the space he goes to take time away from the world. And then he tells the story of how, at the Model Railroad Club, “a mother fucker said shit about my trains” that subsequently sets him off with chaos ensuing. This dude with a taste for vengeance is really into his trains, and it's amusing to say the least.

Musically, the track has a bass heavy rhythm track driving the keyboards and various blips and bleeps that fill the backing track as if you were lost in an old school video game arcade. Somehow it all works, with the vocal delivery and layered backing vocals (all by Cicierega) working perfectly amid the pandemonium. The best part for me, though, is around the 2 minute 38 second mark, where everything drops out to give the keyboard center stage. This part then opens “My Trains” up to an 80s throw-back style epic ending that I absolutely love. It's the best way Neil could have ended the song, definitely adding the whipped cream and cherry on top of an already deliciously fun track.

One of the first ever live Lemon Demon performances, which included Neil (center) and some buddies, in 2006.

These were done as part of a yearly party, dubbed Lemonic Demonade, that happened in his family's backyard.

Read HERE for more.

Again, headphones or a slamming system are a must for this track, but, however you listen, I hope you do so with an open mind, a sense of humor, and a flexible love for music. I can see in my mind people bopping to this track at a festival, bouncing giant beach balls back and forth across the crowd, having an absolute blast. And sometimes that's exactly what we need: laughter, dancing, beach balls, and model trains to take you away.

Lyrics

My basement, uh

Gonna show you my beautiful basement

Where the concrete floor feels cool to the touch

I'll turn up the heat if it's too much

I'll turn on the lightbulb on the wire

Turn on the dehumidifier

I'm serious when I flick this next switch

Look you in the eye, and I say, "Check this"

My trains, uh, my trains, uh

I got small ones, tiny little trains

I come down here just to get away

My trains, ah, my trains, ah

It's like magic, magic trains

I wish these trains could take me away

Chugga chugga, woo-woo

In the club, the Model Railroad Club

A motherfucker said shit about my trains

Might as well have took a shit on my brain

'Cause I went insane

I laid track on his ass with a styrofoam bat

But the president never did let me back after that

Shit, I said, "Fuck you

Who the fuck needs a punk ass choo-choo crew anywho?"

My trains, uh, my trains, uh

I got small ones, tiny little trains

I come down here just to get away

My trains, ah, m-m-m-m-my trains, uh

It's like magic, magic trains

I wish these trains could take me away

Chugga chugga, woo-woo

I lie here every night

I feel like if I focus

And think of getting smaller

I'll gradually get smaller

And if I get small enough

My trains will seem much bigger

And I'll be the conductor

The tiniest conductor

Oh! Then what you gonna do?

What you gonna do? What you gonna do? What you gonna do?

Hey, what you gonna do? What you gonna do?

What you gonna do then, huh? (What?)

What you gonna do?

What you gonna do? What you gonna do?

What you gonna do?

What?

What you gonna do when I'm fucking small, like one inch tall?

You won't see me coming at all

When I crawl into your ear late at night

Yeah, you heard me right motherfucker, sleep tight

And you think I'm just another bad dream

But I'm a tiny little man in your bloodstream

Little hands hold an artery shut

Yeah, that's right motherfucker, then what?

My trains

My trains, uh, my trains, uh

I got small ones, tiny little trains

I come down here just to get away

My trains, uh, my trains, uh

They're like magic, magic trains

I wish these trains could take me away

My trains

(Chugga chugga, woo-woo) my trains

~*~

Official LD || Wiki LD
Official NC || Wiki NC
Discogs LD || Discogs NC
"My Trains" on Spotify

(Posted on 17th September 2024, Backdated to 18th June 2024)

18 June, 2024

Song Solstice - Summer 2024 - Day 18 - Lemon Demon