The Lemon Twigs – Everything Harmony

Review Score:

B+

The Unprecedented Times –

May 31 / 2023

Everything Harmony sounds as if a time capsule was sealed in 1968 and opened in 2023. In terms of production and songwriting, the Lemon Twigs have hit an all time high.  It’s hard to believe that the brothers could hit any closer to that retro sound they’ve been chasing for close to a decade now. Is Everything Harmony doing anything new? No. Not really. But it isn’t trying to. It’s reveling in its vintage, 60s to 70s, lush sounds. And it does it so well that I feel like all I can do is throw my hands up in mock exasperation. 

The album truly does deliver on that promise of harmony. The chorus on “Any Time of Day” is so close to something out of the era that inspired it that it operates as something close to parody. So while The Lemon Twigs owe a huge thanks to the likes of The Beach Boys, they also can take some of the credit for themselves. “What Happens To A Heart” is a soaring ballad. The strings compliment this one particularly well. “Ghost Run Free” starts with a riff straight out of the Cure’s repertoire. The production is clean and layered and the songwriting is smooth and sweet. You really can lose yourself in these tracks. 

Lyrically, the album walks a fine line between beauty-in-simplicity and over-simplicity, occasionally crossing into either zone (but never so far as to spoil the experience). “I Don’t Belong To Me” is a gentle song about monotony and aimlessness. The following track, “Every Day Is The Worst Day Of My Life”, seems like a promising opportunity to hark back to one of the over melancholic youth songs of old (i.e. “Teenager In Love” by Dion and the Bellmonts), but fails to deliver on that tongue in cheek tone. It contains only the titular line, repeated over acoustic guitar.

I suppose if I had to complain about this, I would say that it’s…derivative. Even that doesn’t seem like the right word. It’s tastefully done, but it directly borrows from so many styles perfected long ago by legendary artists that I’d be remiss not to acknowledge it. It’s as respectful about it as it can be. It’s all been said at this point across dozens of reviews. How much should a thing like musical influence play into a score? Well, I guess ultimately it becomes an issue of how subjective music is (even more so than most mediums). And also, the over importance placed on scores and lists and ratings. Everything Harmony is a lush, technical marvel. The thirteen songs that grace this summery vintage pop piece flow from influence to influence. You’re allowed to like it. You’re allowed to dislike it. Even as I write this, having mulled the album over since its release, I just can’t deny how well done it all is. I’ve listened to this album front to back many times over by now. No matter where you stand on the originality question, you really can’t deny that it’s masterfully done. Torn as I am, it’s a beautiful piece of work.

Review Score:

B+