Considering the prolific consistencies of The Lemon Twigs, finding time to write and record a solo project is remarkable. Brian D’Addario does just that and joins a select pool of musicians who, satisfying their group projects may be, has more to give. Till the Morning is safely up there with The New Sound from Geordie Greep and Heavy Metal from Geese frontman Cameron Winter. An artist best known for their group efforts, still working hard on projects with a band beloved by many, branching off. D’Addario does well to do so on Till the Morning, an album which, like The Lemon Twigs’ best bits, blurs the line between reflections on what came before and where these long-standing tones can be taken. Till the Morning is phenomenal. Those sharp bits of wordplay building on the instrumental faith put in such a warm, homely style of recording.
D’Addario writes with real beauty. These familiar tones are at first linked to the music, the next moment they are pulling at those buried memories, the times you have barely thought of in recent years. His titular opener brings a blur of those fables, the fictionalised account of intimacy in our mind with the real moments, those realisations of lived-in moments. What we forget is the little flickers, the loving details which Till the Morning brings roaring back. Again that fluid and natural blur of modern-day experiences with a tinge of the past, those heady days we see in movies and hear in music of the time, comes through. Commitment is key to Till the Morning and D’Addario has an abundance of tracks, lighter tones like Song of Everyone are given the same care as heavy hitters to follow, like follow-up Nothing on My Mind. There comes the country baroque D’Addario is aiming for, and hits.
Dissatisfaction reigns on Nothing on My Mind. Despise those who keep you down, even if they do not know they do it. Till the Morning features a few darker tones if you listen close enough, cut through the instrumental sections which feature Michael D’Addario in the harmonies. This may be a solo project, but the brothers sound closer than ever on Till the Morning, with the D’Addario brothers evolving their chamber sounds of the last few years with some neat flourishes of baroque work. Life and all its unjust workings are heard in the softer, slower country tones. Spirit Without a Home, a heartwrenching album closer, and Day I’m Coming Home, a call to home, but not a definite return, holds those mystifying moments. We may attempt to act on a plan but find it not as watertight. Till the Morning finds this, too.
Blisteringly short but utterly wonderful. D’Addario compiles a few leftovers and finds new life in them, a theme and trace of joy for undying love, felt in the here and now or in the past. Whatever the case, it remains, lasts on as though it were never damaged. Flash in the Pan has some wonderful instrumental work which juxtaposes the title incredibly while follow-up Company is of a standard now expected of The Lemon Twigs. They bring a blur of personable moments and memorable tones from decades ago. It is wonderful to hear how extra pieces leftover from the past can inform a whole new tone, and Useless Tears highlights this blur of storytelling and lush tone so well. Effective and daring instrumental flourishes are found throughout Till the Morning, a wonderful achievement which cements D’Addario as a musician weaving personable stories with flowing instrumental skill.
