Review Summary: The brothers D’Addario take heavy inspiration from the past to craft one of 2018’s best.
Long Island natives the Lemon Twigs have had a pretty short career so far. Brian and Michael D’Addario aren’t exactly of the age people tend to associate with brimming assuredness like they show on their third proper album Go To School; their second for British indie giant 4AD. The Twigs share vocal and guitar duty on this album, as well as writing, producing, and mixing credits. All of this on top of younger brother Michael finishing off his final year of high school while the album was being recorded. That’s all well and good. That’s great even. But ambition is a sturdy rope: you either tie your anchor to it or your wrap it around your own neck. So when I heard that their follow-up to 2016’s fairly straightforward Do Hollywood was being billed as ‘a musical about a school-bound chimpanzee,’ I was ready to hit the bricks. But my curiosity kept me at bay. Call it sick curiosity, call it mild interest, I made time and gave the album a listen.
Surprise, surprise. What the Lemon Twigs do on Go To School could only be described as a perfect blend of musical influence and Broadway camp, with the youth to pull it off. The vocals on songs like “Rock Dreams” and “Born Wrong/Heart Song” are varied and expressive. Classic harmonies just flood this album, making it an utter joy to belt out a line or three with the band. The introverted lyricism coupled with such extroverted vocal performances allow for this, and I think it’s something more bands should focus on. It’s this juxtaposition that makes for better art, in my opinion. Take the vaudevillian performance given on the song “The Lesson,” complete with sings-songy soprano. The most obvious comparison I could make would be late Tiny Tim, who Brian had cited as an influence on the track. It speaks to the range the duo has, when they can go from wide-eyed wonder to somber melancholia with their vocals.
If you thought the vocals we’re a bit odd, the story that ties all of the songs together will give you a headache for sure. Now, let’s not kid ourselves here: the story was probably an afterthought. Hell, in interviews the duo confirmed that the tunes off this album were written out-of-context. But honestly, the plot of this musical is actually quite interesting. A couple, Bill (whose lines are sung by Todd Rundgren) and Carol, fall in love (“if you could call it that”) and decide to have children. Unfortunately, they have a miscarriage. Yes we’re still talking about the musical with the talking monkey, stick with me here. We cut to later, where they do what I only assume all grieving parents would do in such a situation. Enter Shane, the couple’s newly adopted chimpanzee, who they train to act like an human child. This plan backfires, as the young chimp tells his mother and father that he wants to experience this magical thing he saw on television for himself: public school. His parents are reluctant at first (“don't you ever turn on channel five; hey man, we want you alive”), but they eventually relent. What follows is a hard injection of reality for our protagonist, as school is nothing like he had imagined. Bullying, fruitless romance, loneliness, boredom, and all the staples of a bad school experience. What finally causes poor Shane to snap are his parents telling him that he’s adopted (“I always treated you just like a son; though you were never one”). And that’s about all you need to know without me totally ruining it for future listeners. I was genuinely shocked at how smooth the narrative actually played out here, with a proper structure and everything. It’s reflective of a harsh reality, but isn’t entirely bound by it; just as a good fairy tale should.
Instrumentation-wise, the Lemon Twigs definitely upped the stakes with this record. While I did find myself enjoying many tracks off their last album, Do Hollywood, I wouldn’t say that they were the most technically-gifted group I’ve heard. But on this, they sure do make the argument that I misjudged them. The production all-throughout the album is incredibly good, which I can only attribute to this being recorded on tape at the brothers’ own home. It sounds great, and their actual playing seems to reflect this positive change. Not only their guitars, but the supplementary instrumentation. Listening to the trumpets on the bossanova-influenced “The Bully” or the theremin/strings combo on “If You Give Enough” gives these songs such character and I give the band and everyone who helped behind the scenes all the credit in the world for bringing this album to life.
I’ve been singing this band’s praises for most of this review, but I was hard-pressed to find much to be upset about honestly. Sure, there’s the ol’ reliable criticism that the band relies a bit too much on 60s and 70s pastiche. And to that I say: you’re absolutely allowed to feel that way. I’ll refrain from naming any obvious correlations, but if you’re not a fan of the era the Lemon Twigs love to appropriate from, then chances are you aren’t going to find this enjoyable in the slightest. I myself have built up a tolerance to cheese over the years, so I’m a bit more accustomed to such things. Still, if you’re positive on the stuff, or even neutral, I think this would be a worthwhile listen. The only other complaint I might have is that the last act of the musical isn’t the strongest exit I’ve heard. The final stretch from “Home of a Heart (The Woods)” to the hidden title track doesn’t quite reach the highs of some of the album’s earlier points. But even then, such a small thing wouldn’t be enough to ruin the album for me.
If the D’Addario’s we’re fully prepared to make a soundtrack to a future Broadway production, I’d say they were a ways off. But if their intent was to weave a simple tale of lost innocence using their impressive skill as songcrafters, then I'd say they definitely hit gold here. My first listen led me to say that Go To School was a ray of light in a year of gray, and that sentiment has only become more true as time continues to pass. When this year (perhaps even this decade) comes to a sudden and abrupt close, I think this will only continue to manifest itself in my mind. The vocals, the melodies, the lyrics, maybe even the story or the characters. Whatever might pop into my head when I think about this album down the line, I hope it’s accompanied with a smile.
