Hi, everyone. Gigthony Enstano here, the internet's busiest Beach Boys music nerd. We're here today for a review of the new Lemon Twigs album, A Dream is All We Know.

Brothers Brian and Michael D'Addario have been crafting their unique blend of '60s and '70s classic rock into their own kaleidoscopic tapestry for almost a decade now. Over the years, we've heard their growth with each new project, whether it was the Innocence of 2016's Do Hollywood, the ambitious rock opera of 2018's Go to School, the Bowlin'-esque glam vibes of 2020's songs for the general public or the super beautiful 2023, ' Everything Harmony.

A Dream is All We Know is the fifth full length of the New York duo, and honestly, it's the best album they've ever made. Not only is the production the most perfect balance of shimmering and crisp, these songs are just so wonderfully constructed and cleverly arranged. If the previous albums were the guys being in school, this new album is them as the teacher. And then once that school bell rings, they jump out and jump into a 1969 VW bus, cruise down the road as flowers grow all around them and a rainbow leads the way. It's ambitious, it's endearing, it's playful, but more than anything, it's a rewarding listen.

Opening track "Golden Years," invites us in with its warm, comforting vibes. Lyrics about appreciating the present and having this premature nostalgia for but being super cool with that. The bright, jangly guitars and the soaring harmonies create this beautiful atmosphere as if you're getting a letter from an old friend that you dearly miss. It's the best possible song to open up the record with. They don't know how to fall in place follows this up, and it's just this groovy little shaker of a song. It sounds like four songs rolled into one. I absolutely love that dynamic vocal interplay that leads into this sunny, bright chorus. It's a song about figuring out your place in the world, and there's just enough dynamics throughout this track to keep your ear glued to the speaker. It's absolutely a song the small faces would have loved to have read.

"Church Bells" comes up next, and it's straight out of the Ray Davies songbook, and I am all here for it. This thing is cheery. It's got these great singalong moments. It's storytelling about a little town and the people you encounter and the feelings you have throughout your day. The horns that close this track out or just this nice little baroque touch that just lands so perfectly. It's the cherry on top of this beautiful slice of '60s psychedelic pie.

Up next is the modern classic and a play on the title, "A Dream is All I Know," and dreams really show you where you're going and where you've been and what you're doing during the day. And you learn a lot from your dreams. And this song sounds like a mission statement. It sounds like, look, there's no option two. There's no plan B. There's no, Well, I don't see what happens. I've got a course in my mind. This is where I'm going. I'm dreaming about it. A Dream is All I Know. This is what I'm going to do. This is what I'm going to make happen. Musically, this track is gorgeous. It's spacy, it's confident. The glowing harmony the crunchy guitars, the shuffling drums. A truly awesome song.

We take a totally different direction with the next track, "Sweet Vibration," with its Good Day Sunshine-esque piano. Would definitely fit very comfortably on side, too, of Revolver. And it sounds like if The Left Banke were making Revolver songs. They were really into Paul McCartney, and they were like, You know what? Let's use our Baroque pop-esque feel and write Paul McCartney songs, and I'm all here for it.

"In the Eyes of the Girl" is such a great track. It's the closest they've ever come to signing, like 1964, Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. They nail it. The lush harmonies, the gentle delivery, the pacing, the storytelling, it's all there. You get chord combinations that Beach Boys would have used back in the '60s, which can be pretty tricky to pull off, but the guys nail it. If you and I are not wise, follows that up, whether it's birds, jangling, guitars dripping all over it. Those clean, tight-knit lead vocals, the gentle pacing, everything about this just takes its time to be delivered, which musically makes a lot of sense because it works so well with the lyrics, the song about growing a relationship and establishing it, developing safety and understanding the other person and looking out for them and validating them.

Probably my favorite song, The Lemon Twigs I've ever put out, "How Can I Love Her More," is just the most dynamic mixed bag of '60s tricks you can ever hope to hear in one song. The changes, the bounceiness, the cheery optimism, the smiles in their voices. The construction of this track and its presentation gives us the best of '60s sunshine pop. Anywhere between Gary Lewis and the Play Boys or The Association, obviously mixed in with the Beach Boys and the Beatles. And it's a wonderful song about expressing your love for someone and realizing that no matter how much you give, you just can't give enough.

"Ember Days" comes in next, a nice cool autumn breeze at night. This song sounds like a lost track from S.F. Sorrow. The vocals are delicate. The storytelling is nostalgic. It's a nice comfy, quiet song. "Peppermint Roses" follows that up, and this thing is a total straight-up '60s rocker. Well-performed harmonies dance on top of this crunchy rocker. There's excellent tambour green moments, splashy drums, great synth parts. A song about wanting the past to return because when things were better, they were minty fresh and they were pretty to look at. I should have known right from the start comes up next, and this has a bit of a Stephen Still's Neil Young guitar picking feel. A really tasty walking bass line. And lyrically, it's a song about the past being hindsight what it is. It's 2020. Sometimes we need to fall before we walk.

Closing track, "Rock On," over and over just incorporates every bit of glam rock just shoved into a great tight little song because in the end, it's only rock and roll. But it's a song about going on, determination, just keep plugging forward. Just keep rocking on, man. The piano, the handclaps, the splashy drums, it just creates this epic smoothie of glam rock goodness, and it goes down smooth, man.

Overall, the Lemon Twigs picked the perfect name for this record. Follow your dreams. Pursue them. Believe in them. Because sometimes, if that's all you have, if you're broke, if you got nothing left, you can still dream. You can always dream. We learn so much about ourselves and where we're going in our dreams. And if we listen closely and attentively enough, we can really get an idea of what's to come. The fans believe in the dream just as much as the Lemon Twigs do. And maybe that's the whole point. I feel like this album is a dream.

A Dream Is All We Know is that beautiful moment where you're awake, asleep, but ultimately happy. It's a beautiful place full of colorful imagery, heartfelt storytelling, and expertly delivered performances. Truly something the Lemon Twigs should be very proud of. I'm feeling a strong nine on this one.

Anthony Fantano, Lemon Twigs, Forever.