DR. DOG – Be the Void

Review by Gil Israel

            Though music criticism as a whole is a wonderful thing, there are just some times when I completely don’t understand it. As a given, things already get a little dicey when it comes to critiquing/judging art. After all, as true with all art, some people may really enjoy the work in question while other may hate it. It may deeply connect with some, while viscerally repulsing someone else. But, even so, very often people can generally agree when something is at least or good or bad. Sure they’ll disagree on the nuances, but most people will say that The Shawshank Redemption for instance is a good movie, and that something like Birdemic is simply bad (unless you count the it’s-so-bad-it’s-good thing).

            That’s why for the life of me, I can’t understand what the high and mighty music critics have against poor Dr. Dog – a Philadelphia based band that’s made enjoyable indie rock since around 2000.

When you scan the web for some of their album reviews, and though some of them on some select websites are positive, on many websites, and especially the websites that carry a bit of hubris, all their albums have been destroyed. I mean, it’s not even like their albums got mediocre ratings – that would be more understandable. No. Instead their albums have been trashed! If you don’t believe me, look it up. And be sure to check the sites to which I am namelessly referring (you should know who I’m talking about). I’ve listened to Shame, Shame and thought it was fantastic. I’ve listened to their previous discography, though not extensively, and enjoyed all of it. I don’t understand how this band has some worse ratings then some truly terrible acts out there.

            To present a anecdote of sorts, when I first got Be the Void, Dr. Dog’s second to most recent album, a year or two ago, I innocently looked up reviews for it at some of these reputable websites. As you are probably expecting, the album did not receive positive criticism, and at times, the criticism just seemed plain mean. Yet, being open/naïve enough to take this review with credence, I wasn’t expecting much when I finally decided to really listen to this album.

Yet, despite my negative preconceptions, to my delightful surprise I found this album fantastic. Every song on it is a winner. The melodies are beautiful, the harmonies are spot on, and the instrumentation is gorgeous. Without a doubt, this is an album where though most people may not like it to the same degree I did, most would agree that it is definitely a solid album.

Many critics focused on the fact that Dr. Dog was a bit all over the place on this album. Like they had too many ideas – too many styles – and overly tried to cram them all in on this album. Though I will agree that this album is certainly diverse, for me this is part of what made the album. Though the album opens with the mellow folk tune, “Lonesome,” as the album progresses we’re met with some 60’s inspired surf/garage rock, some electro indie pop tunes, some anthem like sing-alongs, and even some hesh psychedelic rockers (see “Warrior Man”). Yes, this is definitely a lot of ground covered, but it was this kind of dynamism that kept the album interesting, engaging, and still enjoyable listen after listen after listen…

And though Dr. Dog certainly make use of a wide pallet of rock song styles, it’s this amalgamation that defines and makes Dr. Dog the great band they are. Even though they don’t limit themselves to a particular style, every song on this album still definitively sounds like a Dr. Dog song – an accomplishment critics should be applauding, not condemning.

And yes, as I read over and over again, Dr. Dog are certainly inspired by and draw from a similar trick bag as many bands that have come before them (i.e. The Beatles, The Band etc.), but let’s be real, what modern band doesn’t do that? To me, Dr. Dog doesn’t take from their influences any more than any other indie band on the scene and as I said earlier, every song still somehow uniquely belongs to Dr. Dog and Dr. Dog alone. Despite some similarities, no music fan would ever confuse a Dr. Dog on this album for a Beatles song, a Band song, or whatever else they said. It’s just simply, and wonderfully, Dr. Dog.

Thus, to wrap up, this album is full of great songs of different styles and feels that you will definitely enjoy at least to some degree. As a lesson to leave you with, don’t always take music criticism from sources you respect to heart. Don’t immediately write off an album that got terrible reviews because sometimes you might just completely disagree…

OVERALL SCORE:

8.6