The Lemonheads seemingly limped across the finish line in 1996, when the band released its last album, Car Button Cloth. By then, main man Evan Dando spent more time dealing with personal demons than actually making music. The situation didn’t change with Baby I’m Bored, Dando’s boring solo disc from 2003.

But fast forward to this year, and the release of The Lemonheads comes as a total shocker. Surrounding himself with a who’s who of ’80s indie rock, Dando slays those demons and in the process revives everything fans enjoyed about the group’s mid-’90s heyday: jangly guitars, thoughtful lyrics, and short ‘n’ fast songs. Standouts include the noisy ambience of “Let’s Just Laugh” and “Baby’s Home,” a brilliantly dark track about a man’s plans to confront his wandering lover. It took the dude a long time, but Dando finally made the album his fans have been waiting for.

This article appears in Dec 6-12, 2006.