The Lemon Twigs - Songs For The General Public

On 2018’s ‘Go To School’, New York sibling duo The Lemon Twigs concocted a bombastic rock opera based around the life and times of a chimpanzee named Shane. On its follow up, Shane is gone (RIP), but the nostalgic theatrics are still out in full force. If there was any question, three albums in, as to whether the D’Addario brothers had any inclination to stomp their platform boots closer to the 21st Century, then the ringing Brian May solo of ‘Hog’ should answer with a resounding “No”. Instead, we have a paean to the past, full of lovelorn warmth (‘The One’), Zombies-on-a-road-trip harmonies (‘Live In Favour of Tomorrow’) and Bugsy Malone-style ridiculous piano jams (‘Fight’). But for all the moments that tend towards fun-but-silly ‘70s musical theatre, there are plenty that, in isolation, ring with the kind of sepia-soaked sweetness that most genuinely don’t make anymore. The Lemon Twigs might not always take themselves seriously, but you’d be remiss to dismiss them as a joke.