Show Review: Dr. Dog - Live at the Phoenix, Saturday October 16, 2010

You can read my review of the Dr. Dog show over on blogTO:

New Dr. Dog Music Video: Shadow People

Check out this brand new video for "Shadow People" off of Dr. Dog's latest album titled Shame, Shame.

Album Review: Dr. Dog - Shame, Shame

Dr. Dog is brimming with bright enthusiasm on their latest and most certainly greatest release, Shame, Shame. The band cited an intentional shift towards a more scaled-down, true representation of their live sound for this new album, and that is what we get. It's a refreshing change to hear Dr. Dog channeling their seriously energetic live spirit in the confines of a structured studio album. It's no easy feat, but Dr. Dog has the focus to make it work.

The album opens with the upbeat number "Stranger", rich in Dr. Dog's textbook 60's harmonies and unsurprisingly missing their signature horn section. Not to worry, singer Toby Leaman belts out the lyrics with all his soulful might, filling out the missing spaces with ease. The pace drops, but only slightly on the next tune, "Shadow People". Lyrics like "it's the right night for the wrong company" and "I crossed the path of a friend of mine, and I know what that look upon her face meant" resonate long after the beautifully thin vocals of Scott McMicken fade out. The blunt lyrics "I've got a job, I've got to move this paper" perfectly match the heavy marching pace of "Later" which is laced with some quirky off-key piano and is seriously infectious. With its repetitive chorus, "but I can't sit around and wait, can't sit around and wait for you", "Later" has all the key ingredients for a breakout single. Mid-album, Dr. Dog juxtaposes the dark tale of a loving couple in turmoil with poppy handclaps and a rolling drumbeat on "Jackie Wants A Black Eye" to surprising success. Finally, the album comes full circle, ending with the title track "Shame, Shame", the only song on the album that plays a little long.

If it's your first time hearing Dr. Dog, Shame, Shame should prove to be immensely satisfying. It's a lively and catchy album. A nod to the seemingly forgotten harmonies of the '60s which allowed so many bands to achieve so much success. Long time fans of the band should also feel proud of their underdog musicians. Shame, Shame mixes just the right amount of left-of-center headphone nuances (listen for someone barking like a dog on "I Only Wear Blue") with the band's long-term practice of blatantly poppy songwriting. For a band that has cradled the cusp of mainstream success for so long, Shame, Shame should be the album that garners Dr. Dog rave reviews from critics, casual listeners, and longtime fans alike.

Check out Dr. Dog playing "Stranger" live at Jimmy Fallon

Dr. Dog New Album and Tour

Dr. Dog will release its next studio album on April 6 via Anti- Records. The band switched things up with Shame, Shame by working in a professional studio and with an outside producer (Rob Schnapf). The album is said to peel away the group’s trademark layers of strings and horns to focus on the core band. Shame, Shame is also said to feature a darker tone “whose themes of doubt, confusion and unanswered questions are soothed by bright harmonies, taut guitar riffs and soaring melodies.” Dr. Dog will tour throughout the winter and spring, including a run of domestic May dates with Deer Tick.

The band’s upcoming shows include:

January 27 Troy, NY—Revolution Hall
January 28 Burlington, VT—Higher Ground
January 29 Providence, RI—Lupo’s
January 30 Syracuse, NY—Westcott Theatre
February 1 Buffalo, NY—Mohawk Place
February 3 Pontiac, MI—The Pike Room
February 4 Milwaukee, WI—Turner Hall
February 5 Madison, WI—High Noon Saloon
February 6 Iowa City, IA—The Mill
February 8 Omaha, NE—Waiting Room
February 9 Rock Island, IL—Rock Island Brewing Co.
February 10 Cleveland, OH—Case Western University
February 11 Bloomington, IN—Video Saloon
February 12 N Columbus, OH—Newport Music Hall
February 13 State College, PA—State Theatre
April 14 Toronto, ON— Lee’s Place
April 15 Ann Arbor, MI—Blind Pig
April 16 Chicago, IL—Metro
April 17 Minneapolis, MN— Fine Line
April 19 Aspen, CO—Belly Up
April 20 Denver, CO—Gothic Theatre
April 22 Boise, ID—Neuroluz
April 23 Portland, OR—Wonder Ballroom
April 24-25 Great American Music Hall San Francisco, CA
April 27 Los Angeles, CA—Henry Fonda
April 29 Santa Fe, NM—Santa Fe Brewing Company
April 30 Dallas, TX—The Loft
May 1 Austin, TX—Emo’s Outside
May 2 Houston, TX –Warehouse Live Studio
May 3 Fayetteville, AR—Majestic
May 5 W Birmingham, AL—Workplay
May 6 C Nashville, TN—Cannery Ballroom
May 7 Louisville, KY—Headliners
May 11-12 Boston, MA—Paradise
May 13 Philadelphia, PA—Electric Factory
May 14 Washington, DC—9:30 Club
May 15 New York, NY—Terminal 5
May 23 Berlin, Germany—Magnet
May 24 Koln, Germany—Blue Shell
May 25 Amsterdam, Neth.-—Paradiso
May 26 London, UK—Tabernacle
May 27 Paris, FR—Nouveau Casino
May 29 Barcelona, Spain—Primavera Sound