THE EDITED PRESS RELEASE: “Following the release of Everything Harmony, which garnered acclaim from Questlove, Iggy Pop and countless others, The Lemon Twigs — the New York City rock band fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario — have returned to once again capture the attention of the music-listening public.
They say they are in their premature “comeback” stage, and make no mistake: Coming back this early has its benefits. Simply put, the brothers combine the energy of men in their mid-20s with the experience and songwriting chops of seasoned musicians — they recorded their first album Do Hollywood nearly a decade ago at ages 15 and 17.
Set for release less than a year after their last album, A Dream Is All We Know is a joyous affair. As the title suggests, it’s less of a sober look at the darker side of life, and more a hopeful sojourn into the realm of dreams. The tone has shifted away from dreary melancholic ballads and moody power-pop. Brian and Michael are revisiting their 1968 sound. This album feels closely related to Do Hollywood, but their songwriting and recording techniques have vastly improved over the course of five albums. The brothers combine elements of Merseybeat, the California harmonies of The Beach Boys, and even a dash of bubblegum to create a unique collection of pop nuggets. (They claim it’s part of a new “Merseybeach” movement that’s sure to catch on, though that fact remains to be seen.)
The sense of urgency imbued in lead single My Golden Years comes in part from the jangly 12-string guitars and driving drums, but also from the anxiety of a narrator who can feel their “golden years” slipping away from them. Michael’s line, “In time I hope that I can show all the world the love in my mind,” can serve as a statement of intent for the whole collection of songs, as the brothers race against time to create as much quality pop as possible.
They Don’t Know How To Fall In Place propels the album forward into bubblegum paradise with its euphoric harmonies and biting clavinet, while the Roy Wood-inspired Church Bells takes you on a journey in its 2:09 run time. At every turn you’re introduced to a new instrument, and as Michael sings “ring goes the bell,” the drummer switches to the bell of the ride cymbal and the song reveals itself as a pop tone poem, complete with cellos, mandolin and trumpets, all played by Brian. And of course, the line also includes a Merseybeat pun, cleverly namedropping Ringo Starr into a song that conflates images of the west side of Manhattan with the atmosphere of northern England. Next comes the title cut, an existential space age epic, followed by the baroque pocket-prog of Sweet Vibration.
Set somewhere between The Brill Building and 10452 Bellagio Rd. (IYKYK), the new record was carefully arranged and produced entirely analog in the brothers’ Brooklyn studio. Most tracks were constructed with the two brothers swapping instruments and layering all the parts themselves. One of the exceptions to that rule was In The Eyes Of The Girl, co-produced by Sean Ono Lennon in his upstate New York studio, which had the brothers tracking drums and piano while Lennon handled bass duties. On top of that, the brothers add multilayered harmonies that bring to mind The Beach Boys, The Four Freshman and The Free Design.
Side 2’s opener If You And I Are Not Wise, has the brothers channeling The Everly Brothers’ close harmonies while seeking spiritual illumination with the line, “I wish that someone could tell me what my soul knows that I don’t know.” Brian says, “There’s definitely an escapist bend to this album. Joyous music can take you out of the world when things get too heavy, which everyone needs sometimes.”
How Can I Love Her More? is a whirlwind of musical flights of fancy. Blaring horns and strings set the stage before the song settles into a rollicking shuffle, complete with two drum sets, an adventurous bass part, Theremin, flutes and harpsichord. It’s a kitchen sink approach, full of left turns but never bordering on cacophony. It segues directly into the peaceful, sparser Ember Days, propelled by a meditative nylon string pattern that’s part bossa nova, part Nick Drake. The peace doesn’t last long though, as Peppermint Roses erupts with a menacing Farfisa into a two-part nightmare comedy that doesn’t let up. The album unwinds with the dreamy I Should’ve Known Right From The Start. It’s like a forgotten piece of French Pop that just happens to be sung in English, complete with arpeggiated acoustic guitar, melodic bass and catchy drum hooks.
While the album is chock full of progressive pop ideas, it closes with an ode to early rock ’n’ roll on Rock On (Over and Over). The track contextualizes the band as part of a lineage of rock ’n’ roll that’s never really stopped. In every decade there have been bands that have put their own spin on the music and “push(ed) it on down to the line.” But none have done it with the attention to detail and raw talent of these brothers. For The Lemon Twigs, it took almost a decade for critics and audiences alike to present them with the major accolades they’ve earned this past year. While their initial records were appreciated for the musical proficiency they displayed, the brothers’ past few records have communicated their ideas with more clarity and emotional resonance. In other words, “It took too long to say ‘rock on.’ ”
