The Lemon Twigs, brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario, released their new album, For the General Public, and I feel like my ears have been blessed. Anthem after anthem is what this album consists of, but not in the yawn of a national anthem sort of way, more like in an infuriated “I can do whatever I want” sort of way. It works well for them and the vibe of the album as a whole. Their sound on these tracks are a mix of Queen, Bruce Springsteen and Temples.
The first track, “Hell On Wheels”, reminds me vaguely of Rocky Horror Picture Show. There is this seemingly never ending chorus which also becomes the outro where the lyrics are bellowed, “And we were hell on wheels / Hell on wheels / Dirty / screaming white hot jeans / Looking for a place to dream”. It’s followed by a more toned down track, “Live In Favor” of “Tomorrow”, which gives a strong Beatles vibe musically and is lyrically full of hope and the possibility of love and growth after pain.
The theme of love begins to move farther away on “No One Holds You (Closer Than the One You Haven’t Met”. As the title implies it’s all about dreaming up an idea of the perfect lover. They belt the chorus, “No one holds you closer than the one you haven’t met / No one compares to the one that you invented in your head” The album seems to take a climactic turn and begins to get more complex, darker, and a bit more chaotic than the first half.
The tracks “Fight, Only a Fool” and “Fight” dive into the vulnerability of how painful, toxic and messy love can be. Lyrically these songs are darker than the first few tracks and show how infuriating and fear inducing loving someone can be. “Fight” goes right for the gut, “I need you / Just like I need a hole in the head / Listen up / Hear me out, I’m glad your mom is dead”.
The band seems to play every instrument imaginable in the last half of the album, making it a little confusing yet exhilarating in the way a new car can be. Ending the album on “Ashamed”, an acoustic ballad about forbidden love and the shame that accompanies it. A heavy downer to end on compared to the beginning, but you’ll get all the feels with this album including perplexity.
The tracks are unexpected, but are made up of reflective lyrics and out of your mind musical elements. The Lemon Twigs sound more succinct than their previous work, but there is still a little bit of chaos bleeding through.
