The brothers D’Addario – Brian and Michael – are multi-instrumentalists. One may consider them virtuosos of sorts. Contributing to the world of alternative music is a noble thing for a virtuoso – of sorts – to do, but The Lemon Twigs have primarily used their know-how and resources to link today’s alternative climate to the ‘60s-to-early-’70s music, that influenced a lot of the indie bands of the 21st century, in more of a hands-on way, separating the boys from everyone else.
Contrary to what one may assume, the Twigs have been honouring the legends since before they became critical darlings with the old folk pop style of 2023’s Everything Harmony. The duo’s first two albums – Do Hollywood and Go to School – were each odes to big, theatrical rock, the latter of which being a fully-fledged rock opera – about a chimp that…goes to school – guest starring Todd Rundgren. Third album Songs for the General Public had the makings of a classic glam rock album.
Back to the virtuosity aspect; the Twigs have acquired such success because, well, they’re good – like, really good. Even if their being good is used for cloning or sponging off of older bands categorised as “classic”, they’re still incredibly skilful. That’s how they’re able to set themselves apart from their contemporaries when taking cues from their favourites, that’s how they’re able to emulate instrumentally or vocally, that’s how they took over the world with 2024’s A Dream Is All We Know, laden with Beach Boys-soundalikes, but again, these guys are good; if Carl or Dennis or Al couldn’t make it to the studio, the D’Addarios – had they have been alive at the time – could’ve filled in and nobody would’ve been any the wiser.
There are still a few nasties that critics could bring up to downplay the merit of their twiggy art. Brian and Michael were, as good as, bred for this. They got into music and theatre at a very young age; their dad, Ronnie D’Addario, had some success, and the family certainly had connections.
Why bring that up at all? Well, new album Look for Your Mind is one of the duo’s brightest albums, and it is, probably, their most derivative. They are again using whatever access – and attributes – they have to do spot-on impressions, and once you combine this with that aforementioned D’Addario nepotism, you get Bring You Down; a song I really struggle to get on board with. Not only are a couple of lifelong theatre kids (derogatory in this context but no offence intended to theatre kids in general) singing about the mean old bossman busting their souls as they work their sucky warehouse job, but the song is overwhelmingly direct in its cloning of early Beach Boys material, to the point of comedy; it sounds more like Trigger Happy – Weird Al’s Beach Boys pastiche – than it does Beach Boys.
Luckily, the brothers are, in a way, enhancing pastiche. Their existing know-how – bleeding into the duo’s shared producer duties – combines with far more outside help than usual to create the ultimate ‘Lemon Twigs Does’ album. Their penchant for new melody breathes new life into Byrds-style jangle pop (title track), early Beatles kicks with vintage-but-gleeful riffing (Yeah I Do), and more textbook Beach Boys harmonies (pouring out of Mean to Me before the song takes on a You Still Believe in Me-type combo of vocals and toyetic pop music).
They’re great crafters of song, able to subvert their heroes where Greta Van Fleet fail to. The bouncy bridge section of Nothin’ but You is one of the most joyous things the Twigs have ever made, spurred by acoustic guitars that jangle on the weak beat, like The Zombies equipped with George Harrison’s Rickenbacker tone. There’s a wonderfully ghostly prelude to the chorus of I Hurt You, which drifts into a throng of instrumental harmony on the chorus itself; a shaking vocal melody, unsettled bass, and secretive guitar, cautious but frolicking. My Heart Is in Your Hands Tonight is the best of the bunch; it would’ve been on Michael’s uncaged voice alone – like some of Dennis Wilson’s gruffer vocals – but the chorus is powerfully romantic whilst subverting the kind of chord progression one would usually expect from such a ‘60s pop group-smitten power pop-rocker, taking scenic routes to return to the tonic, collapsing into unforeseen major thirds before the riff from Needles and Pins kicks in.
Their songwriting makes sure to add a nifty soundbite – “she’s lived two or three as many lives as me” – to 2 or 3, which treads carefully amid worlds of manufactured ‘70s soul and original sunshine pop. The song, surely a fan favourite, is resourced, not only with the accustomed dexterous Beach Boys vocal harmonies, but access to saxophones, flutes, piccolos, bells, harpsichords, cellos and more. Think about it, they could make their own Pet Sounds, if they wanted to.
But wouldn’t that be awfully derivative? Luckily, the Lemon Twigs have the creative chops to override the overtness of their current derivations, so if they opted to replicate a notable older album in its entirety, maybe that’d be where the buck stops. They’re lucky they’re cute – and by that, I mean remarkably talented on the theoretical-practical side of things.
Best tracks – Nothin’ but You – My Heart Is in Your Hands Tonight.
Rating – 7 out of 10
(I did get to thinking, maybe this album has a greater purpose: to amplify human performance amid the growth of AI. The Lemon Twigs’ talent and creativity make unique adaptations of historic rock music where AI cannot).
