By Jake Mahr
Theme Editor
In today’s music industry, success often varies and can be made off of an entire album or a single track. Many bands are met with great hardships in trying to gain this popularity.
Yet the band Dr. Dog has finally broken through these barriers and escalated higher in the musical world with the release of their new album.
“Be the Void,” the most recent album from the group, has certainly landed the band into one of its first and strongest standings in the music industry. The album is Dr. Dog’s most experimental record, but it maintains the band’s signature psychedelic sound.
Dr. Dog is an underrated alternative rock band from Pennsylvania whose success is way overdue. The six member band formed in 1999 and have created seven albums since.
Their sound is greatly influenced by bands of the 1960s , such as Guided By Voices and Pavement, and their earlier recordings show a strong resemblance to the lo-fi and poppy sounds of Indie bands from the 1990s. Some of their recent releases, however, feature a much cleaner sound.
The experimentation begins immediately with the single “Lonesome.” With a folky, foot-stomping sound that meanders throughout the track, accompanied by a scratchy slide guitar and rugged vocals, the single is a bold start.
The second song on the album, “That Old Black Hole,” creates the perfect transition between “Lonesome” and the rest of the songs of the compilation. While the vocals and instrumentation still portray a folk-rock feel, the ‘60s psychedelic influences also begin to play a part in the formation of the track.
As the album progresses, more and more stand-out songs begin to emerge. “Get Away,” the fifth track, is a fusion of the sounds and harmonizations of The Beach Boys and Fleet Foxes.
The track “Vampire” features Leaman howling into the microphone backed up by guitar riffs that call to mind The Black Keys. These songs show the versatility of the band and make it hard to classify into one style of music.
The final song on the album, “Turning the Century,” begins with a calming guitar strum, as if Dr. Dog decided to return to that folk-like sound from the first track. Yet a few measures in, a sitar is added into the melody, bringing back the psychedelic sounds that are used throughout the album. This creates an almost dream-like and serene atmosphere.
The biggest strength in the entire album is the amount of energy that is crammed into each and every song. One can barely listen to the album without stomping, clapping or singing along. While each song has its very own unique sound and sonic texture, they all have towering amounts of vigor and liveliness.
“Be the Void” provides an exciting listening environment with such ample distinctiveness that allows for the creation of different feelings and emotions.
The album will allow Dr. Dog to soar to new heights in the music industry. “Be the Void” is available in stores nationwide and as an Internet download.
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