New York siblings Michael and Brian D’addario have carved out quite the career by replicating the sounds of the 1960s, consciously creating a made-up space they have dubbed Mersey Beach, an imaginary amalgamation of Liverpool and Los Angeles.

Recorded entirely on period-specific equipment and mixed and mastered by the Long Island brothers themselves, their sixth album A Dream Is All We Know is like a time capsule, capturing a beautifully recorded jam session involving various Beatles, Beach Boys and Simon & Garfunkel.

Taken in isolation, each of these dozen tracks exudes class, with hummable melodies, pristine vocal harmonies and magnificent musicianship, from the ridiculously catchy, Byrds-ian chime of ‘My Golden Years’ to the soaring doo-wop of ‘In The Eyes Of The Girl’.

‘Church Bells’ is surely a McCartney composition that somehow fell through the cracks, while ‘How Can I Love Her More’ sounds like the D’addarios kidnapped the Wilson brothers circa 1965. Elsewhere, ‘Rock On (Over And Over)’ is full on surf-pop, and ‘Sweet Vibration’ sounds like an uptempo Ron Sexsmith.

When you take the entire album together, however, the overall effect is a little saccharine. A little more grit next time is recommended...

7/10

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