An all-female German quartet pitched somewhere between the sexually forthright garage punk primitivism of the Pandoras and the sweeter jangle pop of the Bangles (with just a hint of the outrageousness of the fondly remembered mid-'80s U.K. culties We've Got a Fuzzbox and We're Gonna Use It), the Lemonbabies started out playing a British Invasion-inspired brand of rocking power pop that only rarely betrayed the group's European roots; but as their career went on, they took that initial inspiration in unexpected and surprisingly fruitful new directions. Formed in 1990, the first-names-only quartet of guitarist Diane, organist Gina, bassist Kaja, and drummer Julia (all four sing) released their debut EP Fresh 'n' Fizzy on the Berlin indie Twang! Records the next year. The three-song 7" EP Maybe Someday followed in November 1993. Gina left after that release, replaced by Dodo, with whom the reconfigured quartet made the nine-song 10" EP Poeck It! in 1994. Featuring improved new versions of several early Lemonbabies songs alongside strong new material, Poeck It! was the group's first recording in a proper studio, and it showed an impressive leap forward in its musicianship and songwriting. Sales and reviews were strong enough for the group to sign with the German division of Sony, which reissued the EP on CD later that year.
The Lemonbabies' first true major-label release, 1995's Nothing I Can Do EP, was a catchily commercial slice of power pop downplaying the group's punk roots with a sexier new image. It was not a sell-out move, however, as evidenced by the hardly demure title of the Lemonbabies' first full-length album, Pussy Pop. Similar to contemporary work by the Muffs or Cub, Pussy Pop is a brash but entirely lovable piece of singalong power pop. After the Keep You in My Arms EP, highlighting one of the album's best tracks, the Lemonbabies split temporarily.
When the group returned in 1998, a complete transformation had taken place. Only Diane and Julia remained from the original lineup, with Katy and Barbara taking over on keyboards and bass. Their first post-reunion album, Porno, featured a startling cover photo of the four nude bandmembers in a tangle of bodies with black bars over their eyes, but the entirely new musical direction was at least as unexpected as the sleeve. Gone were the punky guitars and garagey organ, replaced by a new musical setting of trip-hop beats, electronica-style keyboards and slinky dancefloor-ready bass lines. Fascinatingly, however, the songs themselves didn't change in the slightest; they were still catchy, poppy, melodic and sexy, they're just in an entirely new and less retro-feeling context. 2000's Now and Forever steered that new direction back towards the guitar vibe of Pussy Pop, sounding something like an intriguing cross between the best elements of the Go-Go's and the Spice Girls. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
Source: http://www.billboard.com/artist/lemonbabies/bio/448550#/artist/lemonbabies/bio/448550
