Look For Your Mind!

Description

The Lemon Twigs' two previous albums on Captured Tracks, A Dream Is All We Know (2024) and Everything Harmony (2023), undoubtedly marked a turning point in their career, then comprising five albums. Now comes their third album on Captured Tracks, Look For Your Mind!, which, beneath its pop exterior, conceals a certain paranoia. From the very first track, "Look For Your Mind," a catchy Michael-esque song, the listener discovers the guitar harmonies that run through the album. Here we find many of the elements that made A Dream Is All We Know a success, but with increased intensity. This is pure Twigs, a tribute to the golden age of guitar pop, without falling into caricature. A welcome new feature on this album is the inclusion of Reza Matin (drums) and Danny Ayala (bass), live members of The Twigs, as well as Eva Chambers (Tchotchke) on the rhythm section. The brothers, who previously handled everything themselves in the studio, now display a new freedom. "Gather Round" is one of Look For Your Mind!'s most ambitious productions. Composed by Brian and enhanced by joyful orchestrations, it evokes a militant anthem from the early 20th century. The author seeks an honest leader but is convinced that collective action is the only way forward. Musically, the track is rich and delightfully 1967, but the mood and feeling are firmly rooted in 2026. Brian's "Fire And Gold" kicks off with a punchy power pop riff before everything changes. It's also the first track on the album to feature virtuosic drummer Reza Matin, whom the brothers favorably compare to Jody Stephens of Big Star, Jim Bonfanti of The Raspberries, and Bev Bevan of The Move. Side A of the vinyl closes with Michael's magnificent ballad, "Mean To Me," with vocals that the Beach Boys would have been thrilled to record 60 years ago, performed by Michael, Brian, and Danny. The final track on Side B, "Your True Enemy," completely shakes things up. The Lemon Twigs' sixth studio album may at first seem like a direct continuation of the previous two, but it is also much more than that: it is full of nods to their early records, a new collective spirit, and, above all, exceptional compositions.