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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant debut album from Michael Cerveris, March 4, 2004
Michael is probably best known as Tommy in the Broadway version of the Who's Tommy and as Hedwig in Hedwig & the Angry Inch. He's also performed with Pete Townshend and toured as guitarist/vocalist for Bob Mould. But he's also an extremely talented musician and songwriter. Although the songs on Dog Eared do not allow for the super powerful rock voice that Michael is known for - instead it allows him to show the softer, breathless, intoxicating voice that makes the album much more personal and meaningful. The theme is heartbreak and the songs range beautifully from catchy upbeat tunes such as "Can't Feel My Soul" and "SPCA" (which he co-wrote with Corin Tucker from Sleater-Kinney) to softer bittersweet ballads including achingly poignant "Snowbound". You won't be able to get it out of your head or heart.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An unexpected escape, October 18, 2008
Chances are, you're looking this album up because you know of Michael Cerveris' other (and much more substantiated) claim to fame. Therefore, there's no need for me to tell you about his theatrical feats, and we can move on to his musical efforts.
What we have here is, essentially, a mature, introspective singer-songwriter album. I would not even remotely call this fresh, because that evokes some young starlet or whippersnapper warbling about their adventures in like, but that's not to say that it's unenjoyable or boring. Also, this album has a decidedly '90s feel to it: anybody who laments that rock music now just isn't what it was in the heyday of when "alternative" was a meaningful description now has something new to absorb.
More about that '90s aesthetic: check out the pretentiously long list of contributing minds (Corin Tucker, Sleater Kinney; Laura Cantrell; Norman Blake, Teenage Fanclub; Ken Stringfellow, Posies; and 539 more). I know that sometimes you can't help who your friends are and that it's really fun to involve them in things you do, but sometimes the cameos get out of control. Luckily, for the sake of Cerveris establishing a unique identity, none of these collaborators overwhelms his individuality, but it makes one stop to think: was all that necessary?
Perhaps it was, because this isn't a bad album. It's just difficult to call it something groundbreaking, and part of that is due to prejudice. Consider this: also of NYC fame and (originally) a self-release, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah was an explosive success, and they were absolute nobodies. I wouldn't argue that they were particularly stunning in terms of their sound, but I would argue their anonymity didn't force any expectations on them... and then their sophomore album came along, and all that changed. Anyway, here you have Cerveris with a completely legitimate album, but because there's so much potential for this to be a knock-out, if it's anything less (which it is, just slightly: note, this is a "growing" record - play it a few times and let it sink in to you), then it slips through the cracks. Which is just what happened to this release.
The best part of this album isn't its lyrics, nor the innovative instrumentation, nor Cerveris' voice - although both of those attributes, I'd use the term "about average; not offensive, but not stellar" - it's his craftsmanship. That, in a way, is actually more admirable. Anyone can write a song, but how many people can back away and see the bigger picture of how everything fits together? This is a pleasant album, and the first half of the album ESPECIALLY flows effortlessly from one track to another, despite the tracks having such distinctive flavors.
And down to specifics, regarding the "distinctive flavors": "Disconnect" is quite lovely, with its appropriate arrangement of melancholy strings, and suitable for any fan of Red House Painters. "Dog Eared" is a poppy plea to be remembered, but holy cow, does it remind me of Third Eye Blind's first album (all indie cred aside, that was a great debut). Possibly the most accessible track "Can't Feel My Soul" fuses wussy ponderings with the sometimes-too-much-to-swallow return to shoegaze. "Another Time" is aptly named, for its throwback feel to britpop-inspired shoegaze minus an overbearing wall-of-sound (think The Verve mixed with Blur); however, it's followed up by an actual delivery of droning, dreamy guitars and hazy-girl vocals in "Golden."
A reviewer over at CDBaby claimed a RIYL of Elliott Smith, but I'd really have to disagree with that here. I don't think an Elliott Smith listener would have the tolerance to wade through some of the frills and ruffles found on this album. Sure, lyrically, perhaps one such fan could be swayed, but I'd really rather push this onto someone who's seeking an underground '90s sludgy pop-rock revival. Or, if you're someone who likes to transcend pigeonholing, I'd say that this is an excellent album to put on to fade away into, save for a few peaks into exuberant feel-good anthems, and then it's valleys all the way until the end.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating juxtaposition, October 18, 2006
This interesting debut album may take fans of Michael Cerveris' Broadway work by surprise. It is wonderful to listen to: the very talented Mr. Cerveris collaborates with a number of gifted rock artists, including Norman Blake (Teenage Fanclub), Corin Tucker (Sleater-Kinney), Ken Stringfellow (R.E.M.), and Laura Cantrell. However, those expecting the rich, deep vocals of, say, Sweeney Todd, will be astonished to hear a lighter, higher tenor which melds with, but does not dominate, the instrumental accompaniment. This voice, which at times is downright delicate and whispery--in "Golden," for example--is evocative and flexible, and quite unlike the sound with which Broadway theatre-goers are familiar.
I am too many years removed from the indie rock scene to attempt any kind of analysis of influences in Mr. Cerveris' songwriting. It is enough to say that the ten works, loosely linked by the theme of a romantic break-up, are well-crafted, by turns melancholy, playful, sly, angry, and nostalgic. "SPCA" is vibrant with feeling, an energetic rock beat, and the distinctive vibrato of Corin Tucker. "Dog Eared," another "fast" number, is lively and slyly upbeat. "Golden," one of the most moving songs on this album, offers energetic passages of electric and bass guitars and drums, alternating with Mr. Cerveris' soft, barely-there vocals accompanied by a single accoustic guitar. There are certainly elements of British 70s and 80s rock here and there, but on the whole this is a very personal statement by a remarkably versatile musician.
I highly recommend this...for me, it was both a surprise and a pleasure.
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~ Stephen Sondheim
by Cerveris 
