First solo effort builds on The Lemon Twigs’ sound, offering plenty to enjoy, though it might not be for everyone.
Brian D’Addario has, on the surface at least, made an album that continues the traditions of the work he and his brother have produced with The Lemon Twigs. Songs are steeped in nostalgia, borrowing from the orchestral sounds of auteurs like Brian Wilson and Paul McCartney, yet with D’Addario’s own distinctive touch.
From the start, D’Addario sets the tone: opener ‘Till the Morning’ has a very retro-leaning aesthetic and is full of lavish instrumentation, with jangly piano pumping out major chords in the background, an organ over the top and a lead guitar adding some musical flourishes. This all complements D’Addario’s soft but warm voice and could well have come straight from a lost Smile-era session. Lyrically, D’Addario spins a simple tale of love and comfort and begins the story with this reflection, “When I get off the train and I crawl in your bed/The past rolls away a lifetime of dread/Travels through all of the fables I’ve read/And they don’t come back until the morning”.
The next song on the album, ‘Song of Everyone’, in contrast feels less full and, if anything, maybe a little incomplete. It is a simple, unembellished number and it is possible to see why it might be included on a solo album, rather than as a full band production. However, this does not mean that D’Addario is not at his best with quieter songs. Indeed, ‘Only to Ease My Mind’ has a mournful, reflective feel. It begins with some beautiful harmonies and D’Addario pleas, “All I want to say is let me run away/When I’m leaving please don’t be blue/For I am but a fool who often can be cruel/When I’m needing but a kiss from you.”
One of the standouts from the album is ‘Useless Tears’. This has a real Baroque pop feel which is combined with a Beatles-esque arrangement (think ‘Eleanor Rigby’). This creates a moving, thoughtful song which is enhanced by lyrics that paint a bleak picture of despair and injustice. Right from the beginning there is the juxtaposition of joy and horror, “There are screams in the laughter of the children/Blood in the expensive glass of wine”. Tears, as the song makes clear, are ineffective and never stop – they are “like an oil well”.
Overall, fans of the Lemon Twigs will enjoy this slightly more eclectic selection of songs. Others will find something in it to enjoy, especially in the combination of breezy musicianship and lyrical themes reminiscent of “Pet Sounds”. Others may remain puzzled by the album, as it never quite answers the existential question of why one half of The Lemon Twigs needed a solo album that sounds so much like The Lemon Twigs. However, D’Addario’s talent as a songwriter and arranger is unquestionable.
