Dr. Dog Stranger

It's sort of a funny coincidence that I got my first chance to listen to Dr. Dog's new LP "Shame, Shame" on the same day that my vinyl copy of their 2005 album "Easy Beat" arrived. I mean, they are still the same, but damn they've changed. "Easy Beat" is one of my favorite albums of the last decade because of it emotional, nostalgic, lo-fi quality. Every sound from the LP seemed like it was aching to get through the speaker. All of their oohs and aahs were coming from some drunks in the back of the bar, and the drums sounded like they were being played in the apartment across the hall. These were endearing characteristics for me, and ones that made the album perfectly suitable for the vinyl format.

Over the course of their next two albums they seemed to become progressively more comfortable in the studio and this album seals the deal. For "Shame, Shame" the drums are popping and crisp, the guitar tones are cleaner, and the background vocals and harmonies are clear and damned pretty. It's the same soul Dr. Dog always had, just with some well-placed bells, and tasteful whistles added on. Near the end of a song called "Station", a life-on-the-road ballad reminiscent of The Band, there's a mini cacophony that really contrasts sweetly with the rest of the song. The guitar solo at the end of "Where'd All The Time Go?" adds the perfect exclamation point. Pretty much every song has something like that, which makes you remember each one differently. The lyrics by the way, are arguably the strongest part of the album. This band never has a problem writing things I don't mind singing over and over again, a quality so many classic groups have. This is really a great addition to what is becoming a really stellar catalogue. Can't wait to see them in the mountains of High Sierra this summer.

From "Mirror, Mirror":

They found the body in the river,

they found a note left in the sand

Leave my worries to the water,

and leave my body to the land