Album Review: The Lemon Twigs - 'A Dream Is All We Know'
‘A Dream Is All We Know’ is the newest record from The Lemon Twigs, a quintessential peek into the bands talent and tenacity they’re just dying to give the world the pleasure of hearing.
Any long time fans of The Lemon Twigs will know the depth and range of their insane talent, for any newcomers here…welcome! Brothers Brian and Michael have been finessing their music for about a decade, starting to show an interest in music from a very early age and picking up instruments before they even hit double digits, From their earliest influences like The Beatles and The Monkees, shortly progressing to legends like Big Star and Todd Rundgren - all of which can be heard throughout their catalogue, but with their uniquely Twigs twist.
‘A Dream Is All We Know’ kicks off strong with ‘My Golden Years’, a shimmering start to the record, and the first single to be released off of it. The track is classic Lemon Twigs, with their sixties flare and shining sound, it is beautifully joyous and cheerful juxtaposed with lyrics of worry and fear.
Next up is ‘They Don’t Know How To Fall In Place’ which has this ever so charming organ running right the way through the song, lending itself perfectly to the toe tapping melody. It is another example of the brothers wonderful whimsy, with the lyrics of feeling out of place and confused counteracted with the upbeat nature of the song and playful harmonies. ‘Church Bells’ follows, feeling like a love letter to the north of England, perfectly capturing that Mersey-beat sound from the early 1960’s, alongside youngest brother Michael’s Buddy Holly-esque vocal inflection. The track feels like a sonic bridge between the band's hometown of Long Island and the ever so beautiful Liverpool (my hometown!), with a ‘Merseyside’ pun thrown in for good measure.
‘A Dream Is All I Know’ is the title-ish track from the album, a spacey and dreamlike number carried by a theremin sounding keyboard throughout. The song is reminiscent of some great rock bands from the 1970’s, like Wings or Pilot, but thrust up by the bands original flare and sweet as honey harmonies, which bleeds perfectly into the next song on the record ‘Sweet Vibration’. With older brother Brian taking lead vocals he guides us through this sunshiney song, equipped with a wandering piano and energetic strings that fade into a lovely meeting of instruments and harmonies - with delicious drum fills to boot.
‘In The Eyes Of The Girl’ soothes us in next with this dreamy track, think The Beach Boys playing at a school dance in the 1960’s. It is yet another example of the band's undeniably brilliant vocal harmonies, a thing Brian Wilson himself would be proud of. ‘A Dream Is All We Know’ is entirely produced by Brian and Michael themselves, but this track being the exception, with Sean Ono Lennon producing and playing bass. It is so beautifully blissful, and would make a great dancing in the kitchen with your lover backing track, and blending into the next track ‘If You And I Are Not Wise’. Which manages to perfectly combine both brothers' vocals seamlessly, while lyrically being divinely haunting: ‘it’s getting so very empty in the garden where nothing grows.’
‘How Can I Love Her More?’ is a musical whirlwind, highlighting the bands unique theatre influence, explored more thoroughly in their musical epic second album ‘Go To School’. Bleeding their two influences of rock and roll with theatre, a concept that works so delightfully well as it sparks emotions of ‘Sgt Pepper’ grandeur, with extravagant horns and strings as Michael sings about unshakeable adoration.
The Twigs slow things down with ‘Ember Days’ a bewitching folksy track, with some more orchestral loveliness and a jazzy bass that graces the ears before hurling us into ‘Peppermint Roses’. A zany little number that would fit right onto something like ‘A Hard Day's Night’, with erupting drums and quirky lyrical imagery.
Brian’s impressive high vocals welcome us into ‘I Should’ve Know Right From The Start’, an almost opera-esque tune playing out like a french farce, paired with a winding melody that mixes soft drum fills, classical guitar and a carnival-like xylophone. Bringing the album to a close is the blow the doors off rock and roller ‘Rock On (Over and Over)’, a reminder of the real roots of The Lemon Twigs and their love for rock and roll. It is a real tour de force of an album closer and a whole lot of fun, with Michael giving everything he’s got vocally - perfectly complementing the instrumental elements that work together like a well oiled machine.
The upcoming release of ‘A Dream Is All We Know’ has gained The Lemon Twigs an amalgamation of recognition and praise it took them almost a decade to receive, despite their always present talent as songwriters and musicians. I’d say it’s about bloody time eh? Long time fans will already know the depth and breadth of the band's brilliance, but may still be surprised at the level of excellence they continue to show over and over again. As new listeners get to experience the magnificence of The Twigs for the first time, through the escapism elements of this album, interesting melodies and the remaining quality of their musical abilities. It’s fair to say I will have this album on repeat all summer long, and winter, and spring, and probably until they release the next one. The lads have recently announced more dates this year on their upcoming North America and Europe tour, so grab a ticket if you can and witness the magic of The Lemon Twigs with your own eyes.
Words by George Venus
