With the 6th studio album by The Lemon Twigs, “Look For Your Mind!”, we are treated once again to a record positively teeming with psyched-out, poppy rock ballads that harken back to the halcyon era of Merseyside-influenced sunshine-tinted 60’s and 70’s acts. What else would one expect from one of their releases? This specific sound has become the main shtick of The Lemon Twigs, after all.
For better or for worse, when many people think of the band birthed from the collaborative efforts of brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, they expect emulative work first and foremost. The power-pop duo have been compared to many acts, such as The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Kinks and Big Star, and not without reason. Their entire body of work seems to indicate a fervent passion for these luminary legacy acts. This romance for the past has been both used to heap praise onto their seemingly tireless commitment to recreating that era, as well as provide criticism of their perceived lack of originality. It’s a divisive approach, to be certain.
However, as someone who’s long held a penchant for that exact auditory accoutrement, I find myself drawn to their releases every time, as it’s almost comforting to know what to expect. I’d consider myself someone open to a myriad of musical genres and approaches, and along that path of discovery I came to realize that novelty isn’t exactly something I necessitate. It’s always entertaining to be surprised by music that completely escapes my capacity for description, with seemingly no parallels, but I argue that this surprise struggles to maintain consistent engagement. I like to come back to albums over and over again, and with each revisit that novelty will become diminished and de-emphasized. At a certain point, the tenets of the musical project have to stand on their own to warrant sustained interest, and novelty doesn’t exactly mean that caveat of music-making is fulfilled. That’s why I personally find the argument that homage-laden music is inherently less impressive bizarre. When music lacks a novel gimmick to advertise itself, the substance has to stand on its own, and I believe The Lemon Twigs are well aware of this reality, given the consistent spectacle of their records.
With this 6th studio album, “Look For Your Mind!” highlights the range that this group is capable of. There’s a clear surf-rock influence on tracks like “Bring You Down” and “You’re Still My Girl”, almost like a cheeky wink and nod towards beloved Beach Boys fare. That isn’t to say that they’ve pidgeon-holed themselves here, however. There’s more traditional homages to English and Irish power-pop affairs with tracks like “2 or 3” and “Fire and Gold”, as well as jangle-pop stylings with “I Just Can’t Get Over Losing You” and “My Heart Is In Your Hands Tonight”. These differences may be minute to some, but it creates for a more engaging experience, as these particular influences come on go on the record as they please, keeping you always aware of each distinct track.
The record overall is engineered towards a bittersweet sound, which I find a perfect match for this romantic affair. If we’re already indulging in music that begs comparision to decades-old artists and bands, a sense of wistful abandonment which permeates throughout makes too much sense. This is an exercise in nostalgia, and that comes with everything nostalgic navel-gazing entails. Songs about lost loves, missed connections, and the general foibles of the universal human experience are deeply resonant. In both tone and sound the album creates something akin to an internal time capsule, as once you press play you are transported to a world where we didn’t move on from the pioneering niches of the past, and we were given more time to see the scene develop.
With each release from The Lemon Twigs, their skills further develop in creating modern mimicry of a bygone era. At a certain point, we must cease the endless comparision and evaluate their musical output on its own level, which I believe “Look For Your Mind!” fully warrants. While it’s good to have a reference as to what the two brothers are pulling from specifically on each track they make, the finished work undoubtedly stands on its own as an approachable listen to anyone invested in indie music as it stands. If you enjoy power pop, you’ll enjoy this record, regardless of your experience with the genre or lack thereof.