Songs for the best public

 

Think The Darkness for their incredible stage presence — better yet: we’re not all that far from Queen territory here (FYI, the best compliment the author of these words could bestow upon anyone). Then think Foxygen for the contemporary sophistication the very best of Indie rock can bring. Then add a stunning amount of sheer raw talent that we have rarely seen before — of after. Then imagine that these two guys are actually brothers: their parents have to be very proud…

These two young musical geniuses burst on the scene with their incredibly catchy song “I wanna prove to you”, already showcasing both their subtlety — and panache. And they kept on going from there: a second album in 2018, proving they were anything but a one-off, then this summer’s Songs for the general public… Granted, this review may be somewhat biased: we love classic/anthemic rock over here. But still: you must recognize that these kids have what it takes, and then some. Put simply, not a single song on the album is bad, or even mediocre. Production is stellar, composition is refreshingly interesting and often surprising (a feat rarely achieved, including by #1 albums) and it doesn’t hurt that their vocal skills are on part with the absolute greatest performers. Think The Boss, with a tinge of a Punk attitude… Or Iggy Pop with less of a Punk attitude. Either way, incredibly entertaining stuff…

The album’s lead single, “The one”, is a perfect showboat for the LP, a packed under-3-minute long gem of classic rock with glam undertones that might have some believe David Bowie is not quite as dead after all… As for the rest, and given that there is absolutely no filler track on here, a sound review would basically enumerate every single song on Songs for the general public. But, seeing as we are in 2020 and the attention span of the average reader is not what is was when Ziggy Stardust was on the airwaves, let’s only mention a couple of absolutely stand-out pieces: “Live in favor of tomorrow”, a ballad that could have been written by Ray Davies (of the Kinks) and produced by Sir George Martin; “Moon” that could actually be a Springsteen tune as it does sound terribly like an 80’s folk/protest song — in the best possible way; “Why do lovers own each other”, which could very have been crafted by a stoned Paul McCartney in his heyday; “Ashamed”, a song that closes the set almost as beautifully as “Sad song” ended Lou Reed’s Berlin masterpiece…

It seems everyone from Questlove to Elton John has already — and very rightfully — endorsed the duo. Let us humbly follow suit: The Lemon Twigs are a truly major talent to be reckoned with, followed and listened to. This album is yet another proof of that. So, listen up, and listen good… and keep listening!