or, finding twigs under branches…
The Association
With Terry Kirkman‘s recent passing (far left in above photo), I’ve found myself taking several opportunites to rediscover why I became so fond of the group’s music.
Their distinctive and rich harmonies set them apart from many of their contemporaries and I find myself appreciating yet again their collective vocal genius. And one of my favourite albums remains The Association.
This becomes a highly personal choice… the album contains none of their “big” hits. It was released in 1969, shortly after Jules Alexander rejoined the group to make it a “seven-man band”. I’ve always considered the album to be more of an exploration with fewer of the commercial trappings which had marked Insight Out (1967) and Birthday (1968), both produced by Bones Howe. Here the band (with some assistance from John Boylan) produced an album almost entirely of their own compositions. Jules’ return and songwriting contributions resulted in some of the best tracks on the album. I believe I once read that band member Larry Ramos felt that Jules’ Under Branches was one of the band’s finest moments in the studio. It certainly remains a favourite of mine…
Under Branches
Fast forward to 2024…
The Lemon Twigs
On first blush this band, fronted by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario from New York would appear to be something quite removed from the decades-earlier heyday of The Association. And yet, with their gifts as vocalists, songwriters and multi-instrumentalists and with childhoods steeped in the music of the Beatles era (courtesy of their parents), it is perhaps not surprising that this pair (now only in their mid-twenties) have already released five albums (with a sixth on the way in May). Any Time of Day from their most recent album Everything Harmony (2023) serves as a good example of their abilities…
Any Time of Day
It’s interesting to note that Ben Beaumont-Thomas in his May 2023 review of Everything Harmony in The Guardian awarded it a rare five stars ***** and said of this album… “The songwriting never dips below classic. The teen stars of the late 50s would have coveted the midtempo ballad Any Time of Day, with its ripe key change… In love with the past but making the present so bright, the Lemon Twigs are, in the end, timeless.”
Although we have to wait for May to hear the entire new album, it leads off with a track which has already fared quite well as a single…
My Golden Years
A Dream is All We Know… to be released May 2024…
Besides spring, another thing to look forward to…
The Morgan Musings 