It's as if brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario fell from the sky, victims of a transporter beam gone awry in 1971, and landed here at my desk with guitars in hand, right next to a perfectly tuned Yamaha upright piano. When they dusted themselves off, Brian (20) and Michael (18) channeled their deep admiration for The Beatles with their own original tunes as The Lemon Twigs, playing songs from their recent EP Brothers Of Destruction, a natural extension to their debut album Do Hollywood,filled with Paul McCartney-pop leanings.
At this Tiny Desk Concert, the layers of sound found in The Lemon Twigs' recordings are stripped away, which makes the lyrics more noticeable, words that at times feel destined for a Broadway stage.
It was almost eerie seeing two young adults at my desk who look an awful lot like I and many of my friends did back around 1970. It's uncanny, almost as if Brian and Michael have been somehow shielded from the 21st century. But the truth is they look and sound like they do because they live in a world where everything is at their fingertips, where they can dive deep and explore and create a niche.
It's fair to say that the strength of The Lemon Twigs is in the songwriting and the way they layer their recordings with their multi-instrumental talents. I love what they do, not as nostalgia but for its explorations of melody, harmony and lyrics that are memorable. Even stripped down, they are a whole lot of fun.
Set List
Musicians
Brian D'Addario and Michael D'Addario
Credits
Producers: Bob Boilen, Morgan Noelle Smith; Creative Director: Bob Boilen; Audio Engineer: Josh Rogosin; Videographers: Morgan Noelle Smith, Alyse Young; Production Assistant: Salvatore Maicki; Photo: Jennifer Kerrigan/NPR
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