Customer Reviews

Fate

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Dr. Dog has been on a roll. Only last year did they release the very nice "We All Belong", their 4th studio album, and already we have a new album from the Philadelphia indie-band.

"Fate" (11 tracks, 44 min.) brings an astounding collection of songs. The album kicks off with a great "The Breeze" and immediately it feels like the band has kicked it up another notch or two. The great tracks follow one after another, but the pay-off comes in the last third of the album. "Uncovering The Old" is as catchy (indeed even danceable) as the band has ever been. It is followed by "The Beach", with a biting undertone and aggressive electric guitar solo (imagine that!). The album closer, a 5+ min. epic "My Friend" sums up the album perfectly, with more catchy licks and melodies. Truth be told, there isn't a single weak track on here, and the leap forward from "We All Belong" is amazing.

In all, this is an outstanding album, and sure to make my "best of" for 2008. I have to admit that I didn't really got to know these guys but for the fact that they get played regularly on internet-only WOXY ("Bam! The Future of Rock and Roll"), the best source for indie-rock in the country, bar none. Meanwhile, "Fate" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

Dr. Dog's fifth album is a continuation of the 60's-style pop hooks that have made the band a favorite among Indie Rock fans. Many of the songs take on a playful feel, similar to Paul McCartney melodies, circa Abbey Road and White Album. Beatles and Beach Boys-like harmonies prevail throughout the record, creating a feel-good ambiance as one song progresses to the next.

Highlights include "The Old Days," whose vaudevillian piano is reminiscent of "Rockie Raccoon." "The Ark" combines a guitar-driven melody with classic Dr. Dog harmonies. "From" provides a melodic hook that grabs you upon your first listen. The track sounds like an outtake from 1967-1969 era Beatles recordings. "The Beach" features a driving guitar and organ and is among the 'hardest' rock Dr. Dog has recorded.

Fans of Dr. Dog's prior work will certainly be pleased with "Fate." Hopefully the band will continue on its recent prolific writing and recording streak.

The range of songs is diverse. They sound even more cohesive as a band. They still have their breezey feel with some darker overtones. I agree that Toby and Scott have very different styles and obsessions but they are a great team. Any fans of the previous records will eat this one up. And thanks, Pitchfork, for continuing to write your ill informed and condescending reviews when it comes to this band. Still talking about that New York Times article? Thanks Dr. Dog for another great record!

If there ever was a Dr. Dog album that was meant to play all the way through continuously, it is Fate. Most of the songs merge or fade into one another seamlessly. The occasional sound of an old locamotive appears along with lyrics that sometimes reference trains throughout the album. Listening to the album is like being on a train rolling down the tracks and each song is a stop in a new town. Dr. Dog takes us on a journey back in time to explore common lyrical themes including religion, friendship, love, life and death without any mention of anything modern throughout the album. The songwriters share common Earthly words througout including ground, bones, stones, sand, mud, dirt, rain, wind and snow. Its as if they put themselves back 100 years in time and wrote songs about things that were important back then and probably should be more so today. This all gives the album a strong sense of cohesiveness not often seen in most modern albums.

On Fate it is clear that Scott and Toby's songwriting styles continue to diverge. Toby is continuing to explore darker themes with more use of minor chords. However, Toby's songs on Fate have some silver linings as a bridge or chorus turns to a major key and the vocal harmonies shine through like a bright light at the end of the tunnel. For an excellent example of this check out The Ark, one of my new favorite Dr. Dog songs. With The Ark Toby questions the failed promises of religion and love in minor and diminished chords, eventually resolving to some sweet major key harmonies that just stick around long enough to catch your breath before returning to the darkness of doubt. Interestingly Scott composes songs with similar subject matters but with kinder lyrics, more hope, and a less cynical perspective. While we are seeing a larger contrast in style and substance between Dr. Dog's two songwriters, this only makes the album more interesting. Much like the complimentary styles of Lennon and McCartney, with Dr. Dog the sum is greater than the parts. Despite the Toby and Scott's differences, Dr. Dog's cohesiveness remains strong on Fate because of the shared themes, a limited pallette of instruments and their ubiquitous vocal harmonies which has always been Dr. Dogs best intrument.

Scott and Toby alternate songs on the album with Scott on track one one and Toby on tack two etc...with the exception being the last track of the album called My Friend. This is kind of a two song medley that starts as Toby piece and then about halfway through a new section from Scott cross fades in which takes the album out to its climactic conclusion. It's probably no accident that Scott and Toby chose to end this great album with a shared track titled My Friend. The people who know these guys understand that the music of Dr. Dog is the product of a long friendship between two guys with a common passion to make great music together. The album Fate and its final track would make for a perfect swan song and a compelling way for Dr. Dog to go out in style. But, let's hope it's a sign of even better music to come as Dr. Dog rolls further down the tracks.

If you feel that pop music still has potential but you just haven't seen it in decades, you might do yourself a favor by checking out this album FATE by DR DOG. Dr Dog is a Philly based band that falls into the indie pop category but they add solid amounts of classic pop-rock mentality onto this disc, taking obvious ques from the beatles, the band, and in a few instances the flaming lips. Thankfully, they do it thoroughly well themselves on this disc and have themselves a classic of their own. Soulful, rockin and at times slightly surreal.

I discovered them on the local college station through a tune called "Worst Trip" from another album of theirs and decided to check them out. Luckilly I discovered this album first in my search. That tune is good but not on the level of any song on this disc. This was instantly a catchy and diverse listen for me, some of the best I've gotten into in a while. This is as solid a pop rock and roll album as any Beatles album... you may just get hooked on the amazon clips alone... I can't believe their name is such a secret! Go give it an ear!

My lord, this is good. Dr. Dog is the best band to come around in years. I've been listening to "We All Belong" and "Easy Beat" a lot, and absolutely love both records. "Fate" actually does those two recordings one better. It's pure greatness from beginning to end.
"Army of Ancients" is the best song they've ever written in my opinion. Christ, it could be the best song anyone's ever written. You know when you listen to a song half a dozen times a day for a week straight, something magical is going on.
Buy "Fate" if you haven't. It's worth its weight in gold. Also, buy all their other records. You'll be eternally rewarded.

Yes, they sound like modern day 60's pop (especially The Beatles, think "Rubber Soul" and "Abbey Road", among other influences), but man are they fun to listen to. It's a happy album when your Tool and Killing Joke is getting you a little too serious for your own good. I heard of the band just recently when their 2009 SXSW show was released as an NPR podcast. Check out that podcast for free, then buy this ablum!

Update // 01.17.2012

I am still loving the band. I have seen them once in concert, and will be seeing them again in March 2012(they will be playing in Mobile and Birmingham). Dr. Dog is its own genre, so I do recommend checking them out. I think "Fate" is their best work so far, so by all means start out here if you are exploring the band.

I bought this blind from Amazon, based on the reviews, and having never heard of the band before. I was so impressed, I bought their first two albums.

The music is certainly derivative, but if somebody makes a new painting that looks like a Dali, then well -- it looks GOOD because Dali was good, and to heck with those who decry the lack of originality. I actually saw this CD on an endcap display at Best Buy, of all places, and for people who buy CD's at Best Buy this might well sound original. It gets the "Beatle-esque" branding, though it reminds me more of solo Lennon, and there's a detectable love for Brian Wilson here as well, but the Bowie influence on their earlier records seems to have run dry. For the most part it is quite similar to the last two Wilco albums, with some harmonies bearing resemblance to Of Montreal's early work.

Compared to their first two albums, this one has better production value -- lo-fi has its charm, but these guys don't *quite* have the songwriting talent of a Robert Pollard to pull that off. The higher production value benefits them. The songwriting also is more consistently good on this album than on its predecessors, there are no real duds here. The guitar player has gotten a bit more conventional, but a bit better in the process.

If you're an indie rock fan, you may conclude that this album takes too few chances, deviates too rarely from the script, and has little to offer that you haven't heard before. I'd concede that, but a well-crafted pop-rock song doesn't have to be unlike anything you've ever heard, it just has to excite you through six or seven listens before it grows old. These guys have drawn together some great influences and created a solid record in their example, and I'm happy to have them out there doing it once a year.

I was sitting reading in my local Barnes & Noble when they were playing this CD in it's entirety and found myself tapping away at one upbeat track after another and they reminded me of the Beetles a little bit...had to go get this and have not regretted it at all. The more you play it the better it gets. Well done Dr. Dog Great CD

Like it's predecessors, this album takes a couple of listens to get into. I love that moment when listening to a Dr. Dog album, when you realize the awesomeness. It's a great epiphany.
Fate's awesomeness isn't as awesome as Easy Beat and We all Belong. You can hear more definite, direct influences which takes a little bit from some of the songs. The fist song takes some Doowhops out of Joni Mitchell's Big Yellow Taxi. It's not a bad thing though. Just takes you out of the song for a millisecond.
The first five songs are good, but not my favorite. From Ark on, the band is at it's best.
I hope they do more shows. I saw them in LA two years ago and every time they come back, they sell out! I wish more bands were like Dr. Dog. Lo-Fi is the new Hi-Fi! Or something.