Number one hits can be both a blessing and a curse. Ask Cornershop, a band with an entirely acceptable back catalogue that was all but forgotten once they struck gold with the pervasive Fatboy Slim remix of 'Brimful of Asha' in 1998. Since then, the Leicester band have kept a fairly low profile; 'Handcream for a Generation' was released to little fanfare in 2002, and it's taken seven years for them to follow it up with this strangely-titled affair.
But when you know how to write songs like Tjinder Singh and Ben Ayres do, consistency with your releases is irrelevant - especially because 'Judy Sucks a Lemon for Breakfast' is possibly Cornershop's best album yet. Apart from one rather baffling inclusion (closing track 'The Turned on Truth' can only be described as naff Christian pop with a side of gospel), it's brimming with quality pop tunes draped in a hazy Beatles-esque sheen, throwing itself back to the glory days of the '60s and '70s without owing either decade a hefty debt.
'Soul School' is a perfect example, its twangy sitar riff straddling a simple-yet-brilliant indiepop frame. 'Operation Push' and 'The Constant Spring' occupy the nebulous space between ska/reggae and Gomez's summery pop shuffle, while 'Chamchu' and the politically-tinged instrumental 'Shut Southall Down' plough a more experimental furrow, harking back to their halcyon dance fusion days. An unexpectedly gratifying listening experience - but let's hope it doesn't take another seven years for them to open up shop again.
