Melodies out of time.
Between brilliant harmonies, meticulous arrangements and an almost artisanal obsession with pop songs, The Lemon Twigs It has become one of the most unique projects of its generation. With A Dream Is All We Knowthe brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario They once again demonstrate that their musical universe does not respond to immediate trends or quick formulas: their albums continue to be constructed as complete pieces, full of details, references and a classical sensibility that finds new life in the present. In conversation with Indie Rocks!the band talked about the evolution of their sound, the way they understand pop, the process behind their new album and the special bond they have built with the Mexican public.
Indie Rocks!: Congratulations on the new album! It must be exciting to finally be able to publish it.
The Lemon Twigs: Yes, it's definitely exciting. I feel like the songs are going to lend themselves really well to being played live, and that's what excites me the most.
GO!: We live in much faster times, where it seems like artists have to be constantly releasing music. But you guys take the time to make an album that really deserves to come out the way you want it to.
TLT: Yes, it's complicated. I think it helps us that we write a lot and we are also two different composers. We always have twice as much material as we need for an album. We probably have as many unfinished songs as there are that ended up on this new album. So it's always about choosing what's more complete when it comes time to put a record together.
GO!: So I imagine that the songs on the new album were made in different periods of time.
TLT: Yes, between different stages of last year's tour. We would get together and work on the basics of the songs. Many moved faster than normal because we incorporated the live band into some recordings. Instead of Michael and I were alone fighting with a song, it was more like playing collectively, doing different takes and deciding which one worked best.
Even on the songs we did alone we wanted a more direct rock guitar sound, so there was less work with orchestral arrangements and things like that. Although we also did a lot of that in other songs.
GO!: It still sounds like The Lemon Twigs, but it does feel different at certain moments. Did that change come from starting to play more with the band live?
TLT: We've been touring a lot the last three years and developed a really good chemistry with the rest of the band, with Reza Mateen and Danny Ayala. We wanted to capture that on the record.
We invite Pray to play on some songs, also Avathe girlfriend of Michaelwho plays in the band Tchotchke. And we did the rest as always: Michael and me playing all the instruments. But it helps a lot to hear how other people bring their personality to the songs. There is more interaction between the instruments.
GO!: That idea of “interplay” between musicians is incredible.
TLT: Yes. Also, other people can come very excited about a song when you have already lost a little enthusiasm after listening to it so many times. They hear it for the first time and you can see it again through their eyes.
GO!: They mentioned that they've been touring a lot and we were just remembering the last time they came to Mexico. It was about a year ago and the first thing they said was, “that was really fun.”
TLT: Yes, it was amazing. The audience was very energetic. I felt like a lot of people were our age or even younger. Our fans usually have very varied ages depending on the place, but in Mexico I felt a much younger audience.
Also, outside the show there were people selling merchandise they made themselves and that had never happened to us.
GO!: Oh really?
TLT: Yes. And it was a little funny because one of the designs had art from my girlfriend's dad. We have never made a t-shirt like this and I wanted to buy one to give to him. I went to ask for it and people thought I wanted to “snitch on them” or something like that. They started putting everything away and I tried to explain to them that I didn't care, that I thought it was great.
GO!: That sounds very Mexican, really.
TLT: Yes, it was very fun.
GO!: You said something interesting: that they don't consider themselves old enough for that to happen. But at least in Mexico they do seem to be quite popular. Have you noticed that they work more in certain countries?
TLT: Yes. He venue where we play in Mexico City is a similar size to what we would play in New York or Los Angeles, but in many parts of the United States they are venues smaller. I think that in general we are doing a little better in Europe and in Mexico City.
And well, that was really our first time playing here alone. We had played in Crown Capital in 2018, but we couldn't see anything about the city.
GO!: Sure, and although 2018 doesn't sound that far away, they have changed a lot since then.
TLT: Yes, I think it's natural. Then Michael and I weren't so aligned on the type of music we wanted to make. Now we understand much better what our strengths are: the harmonies, the bigger productions, those kinds of things that are very present on this album.
GO!: I always saw The Lemon Twigs as a very organic band, very focused on real instruments and musicians playing together. Would you say that you have opened your mind more towards larger productions or synthetic sounds?
TLT: Yes, I am also interested in synthetic sounds. But within this project everything continues to revolve around organic instruments. Maybe because there is a lot of the other in current music. I like to listen to people playing together in a room.
I also really like orchestral arrangements, melodies and harmonies that take unexpected directions.
GO!: This is already your sixth album, right?
TLT: I think so, although Michael He also helped me produce my solo album last year, so technically it would be seven if we count that one.
GO!: And that solo album was born a bit to release songs that had been on the shelf for a long time.
TLT: Exact. There were a lot of ballads that I didn't want to clutter up on previous albums and I needed to finally finish them. It was a liberating experience.
GO!: There are songs that never see the light of day and that makes me sad.
TLT: Michael He doesn't think the same. He likes the idea that not everything has to come out just because it was written or recorded. And I completely understand that stance too.
GO!: The first album is a debut, the second comes with pressure… but the sixth already raises another question: are you still making music for people or are you already making music just for yourself?
TLT: I think we write for ourselves first. But while you produce you start to think: “will people be able to listen to all this? Will they be able to follow so many arrangements?” You start to think more about the listener.
In the end we pop. And pop has a certain intention of giving pleasure to people's ears and brains.
GO!: Would you say they make pop?
TLT: Yes, we definitely do pop. Perhaps within a more sixties or seventies tradition.
GO!: Like The Beatles.
TLT: Exact.
GO!: Let's talk about the title of the album: A Dream Is All We Know. I feel like today people don't stop as much to think about the whole concept of an album anymore. What does it mean to “seek the right mind” or “maintain sanity” through music?
TLT: He wrote that song Michaelbut I feel like it fit the vibe of the album perfectly. There are very introspective songs and others that talk a little more about how certain forces in society can affect you or make you feel out of control.
I think the world gives you a lot of reasons to go crazy, and for us, music is a way to stay sane and express ourselves.
GO!: Keep your mind in its place.
TLT: Exact. Although I honestly don't think too much beyond the title. Sometimes a record just has a specific vibe and that's it.
GO!: For those who are going to listen to the album for the first time, do you recommend respecting the order of the album or listening to it randomly?
TLT: I think it's worth listening to the whole thing once to experience the flow of the album. But if you only connect with certain songs later, it's also okay to listen to them separately.
GO!: And finally: is there any album by another artist that you always listen to in its entirety, from beginning to end?
TLT: Yes, many. Discover America of Van Dyke Parks I love it. Also Sail Away and Good Old Boys of Randy Newman. AND Bridge Over Troubled Water of Simon & Garfunkel.
GO!: You just described a perfect Sunday.
TLT: Exactly, a perfect Sunday afternoon.
GO!: Thank you very much for the time. And of course, I have to ask: are there plans to return to Mexico?
TLT: Yes, it's not completely confirmed yet, but we hope to return later this year, perhaps in the fall or winter.
GO!: We will be happy to welcome you again… and to sell you rare pirate merchandise outside the venue.
TLT: We would love that.
IR!: Thank you very much.
TLT: Thanks to you.
