• Share

Everyone’s favorite Philadelphia low-fi band of heroes is back with album four.  The stripped down nature and honest lyrics of this band is their main appeal, in my opinion.  If some of your friends got together in a basement, played some instruments and happened to be recording while everyone was milling around and singing along; you’d have Dr. Dog.  Their first two albums sounded like they were recorded with friends in the room just hanging out.  Fate, album three, was a step up in production but sounded strange.  Which brings us to Shame, Shame.

On this record we find the boys polishing up their act a bit and moving in a better direction.  The lyrics are still fun, but their music sounds much tighter, although I do miss some of the random noises.  Jim James, lead singer of My Morning Jacket, asked them on tour and helped them in the studio; he adds backing vocals on the title track.  We even see Dan Auerbach, singer/guitarist of The Black Keys, helped to write one of the better tracks on the album ‘Shadow People’.  Not bad at all, boys.

You have to admire their laid back image and approach to music.  Some of their material easily could be found on a Nuggets compilation, and you have to love the hooks they bait you with.  If you enjoy: Spoon, The Kinks, Neutral Milk Hotel, Big Star, and The Band, you’ll see how all those components are found in the good doctor’s music.

As much as I enjoy their first albums, I’m really getting into this one.  I would suggest checking this one out and their earlier work, too.  I’d suggest starting with: ‘Stranger’, ‘Later’, ‘Shadow People’, ‘Someday’ and ‘Shame, Shame’.  All of the songs on this album are great, but that should give you a taste.