When it's sunny out, I just want to lay on the beach, listen to some music and soak in the vitamin D. With the lovely California sun greeting us these last few days, hitting the beach and blasting some mellow tunes was not out of the question, and Dr. Dog provided the perfect soundtrack.
Though they are not completely new to me --as I photographed them at last year's First City Festival-- I never really explored their music much until this past week. I found their stage prescence charming back in August and their studio sound reiterated that.
The West Grove, Penn. band has been around since 1999 and features many different sounds in their catalogue. Their earlier music has a slower, more stripped down, rock 'n' roll sound with swinging melodies and bluesy guitars. As the years passed, they seem to have developed a folkier sound as they experimented with banjos, added harmonicas and strummed some twangy guitars.
With sever full-length albums, EPs and singles, there were more than enough songs that caught my interest. I chose one from each of their last three studio albums.
"Broken Heart" from their latest B-Room kicks off with building, even-paced drums that hold throughout the song as the guitars come in. The guitars are a slurry distortion that thwart the sound as the song leaves a hot and hazy imprint beneath the surface as the vocalist sings "freedom from the heartache."
Another choice song is "Shadow People" from their 2010 release, Shame Shame. This track offers a more wistful tone as vocalist Scott McMicken sighs "It's the right night for the wrong company/And there ain't nothing 'round here to look at/Move along." A sad harmonica fills the crevices between verses and allows the listener to drift away on a bittersweet thought.
Before you're too far gone, "That Old Black Hole" from Be The Void brings the mood back up as a thunder clap rolls into a slight synthesizer accenting a thick bassline that sets a funky tone to song. Slightly reminiscent of old cartoon labor workers singing on the job with a merry cadence, the lyrics are slightly cynical but not bitter.
If you end up being charmed by them as much as I was, be sure to check them out next month when they perform at The Catalyst on Feb. 28.
