A Dream Is All We Know

Album review

A recurring question surrounding the talented D'Addario brothers, Michael and Brian, has pondered when their music would sound more like them than a sum of their influences. On all of their lush, intelligent albums since their glam-pop debut Do Hollywood—released when they were ages 17 and 19—the siblings have both bowed to their '70s songwriting heroes while at the same time lifting a few gestures and chord changes along the way. Here the sweet resounding jangle of the title track is a perfect example of the glistening power pop that so many before them have attempted. Sometimes their crafty amalgams are meant as pure reverence, as in "In The Eyes Of The Girl," an earnest and convincing bow to the melodies and lilting vocal arrangements of Brian Wilson.  This irresistible number was co-produced by Sean Ono Lennon who also plays bass on it. Lines like "In the eyes of the world I'm too far gone/ In the eyes of the world I'm done/ But the one that I care for says I make her heart soar/ In the eyes of the girl I've won," embody the sheer joy this pair finds in making music.

Wilson's influence can also be heard on the lush, massed horns and vocals of "How Can I Love Her More." Layered together in the brothers' all-analog Brooklyn studio, this intricately constructed track features two drum kits, flute, theremin and harpsichord. The D'Addarios are skillful in the studio, and the sound is as expected: supremely bright with wide dynamics and gorgeous perfectionism. Twelve-string guitars chime through the gentle pace and folk-rock harmonies of "If You And I Are Not Wise" where the brothers ask, "Am I wearing a thin disguise/ Or is there more than white in my eyes/ Was I birthed in vain/ Is it all the same if you and I are not wise." Focused on voices and acoustic guitar, "Ember Days" has a bossa nova flavor while John and Paul can be seen in the psychedelic jabberwocky of "Peppermint Roses": "Wear your pretty white stockings/ Buy me a resident cat/ Bring those peppermint roses/ Cause I don't wanna ask again/ Paint my candy cane roses black." The D'Addarios may be too sticky sweet for some tastes, but they are masterful, supersmart, and immersed in their passions.  © Robert Baird/Qobuz