September 24, 2008
Get Out Tonight: Dr. Dog at the Tractor
It's safe to say that the only person in town who loves Dr. Dog more than us is erstwhile Stranger music editor Jonathan Zwickel. We won't go so far as to say that they "sound like the best band ever," but we do agree that the Philly five-piece have the influences (Beach Boys, Beatles, Steely Dan, The Band, and so on), the sense of melody, and the spot-on harmonies to always put on a rollicking live show. Their new album Fate covers the same territory as their previous four in a good way: this is straight-up musical goodness, and if you can't appreciate their easily accessible homage to classic sounds (we're looking at you, Pitchfork), then you've got no pop soul. Delta Spirit and Hacienda open, but in a perfect world, Dr. Dog would be playing with similarly minded local band The Moondoggies.
9pm // The Tractor // 5213 Ballard Ave NW // $14
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Spot on harmonies? I watched the video and the lead singer was failing to hold pitch on a regular basis. Since I've heard a few people rave about these guys recently, I'll most likely dig around to hear some more. But if that's how he always sounds, I doubt I'll be convinced.
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Re: "spot on" - I was speaking more about the backing harmonies than the lead vocals. As to the lead singer, I'd consider his voice to be "perfectly imperfect." This band ain't about precision, it's about fun (see the purposely sloppy piano playing).
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I don't feel erstwhile.