Today, The Lemon Twigs release Go To School, A Musical written, recorded, produced and mixed by brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario in their home in Long Island. Listening to this wildly ambitious album is like entering and inhabiting a parallel universe.
Go To School tells the coming-of-age story of Shane, a pure of heart chimpanzee raised as a human boy as he comes to terms with the obstacles of life. Todd Rundgren and D’Addario’s mother Susan Hall play Shane’s parents. The album also features contributions from Big Star’s Jody Stephens and their father Ronnie D’Addario.
Michael describes Go To School as “a fairy tale with a dark edge,” as Shane is ostracised, bullied and rejected by the girl he falls for, erupts in an extreme act of retribution for being robbed of his innocence. The libretto is played out in a series of intricate, wildly eclectic musical settings.
“We had enough songs to work on a straight-pop, more obviously autobiographical album— which didn’t feel like much of a risk—or this one,” Brian says of the decision-making that set them off in this envelope-ripping direction. “These songs come from the same place our autobiographical songs come from, so we decided to trust our instincts and to really commit to making it a musical.”
Michael continues the thought. “We weren’t gonna do it half-assed—we were gonna do it full-on and not shy away from the concept,” he says. “For me, it felt completely like the obvious thing to do, which sounds ridiculous, but everything about it is more advanced to me, and further along. What I think would be really disappointing for our most dedicated fans is if we just did a straight-pop album next.”
Purchase / Stream Go To School: https://thelemontwigs.lnk.to/GoToSchool
