I like them, but not like-like... like, like a friend: part III.

(photo courtesy of "Animals through a Wide-Angle Lens"... I knew this would bring the readers back!)

Number 3: Dr. Dog Fate

So, I decided on Friday to write about three albums that I was kind of on the fence about, and as you may have guessed this is the third. Although, thinking about it now, I've listened to this album a lot - 7 times according to the new (and horribly designed) iTunes v 8.0, and at least a couple of times on my iPod - for something that I'm on the fence about.

The album, which was recommended by a school friend, has steadily been growing on me with its Sgt. Peppers Beatles kind of jangly pop. But, I guess the catch is, I'm not sure why I keep listening to it. I mean, after at least 7 listens, I can't say that I really love any of the songs; and, I think the ultimate test, to me, is that I'm pretty sure I wouldn't put any of the songs on a MixCD to go in the car.

Maybe its because I grew up listening to the Beatles on car trips with my parents, since they were the band that everyone could agree on, and, I think it goes without saying, they aren't the Beatles. There was (like I would know since I was there) something about the sixties where all those acid-tripping kind of 'Wonderland' lyrics made sense, and now that we live in the age of the internet - and not the world where people float around in Yellow Submarines - these kind of lyrics don't really fly. I think the best example is the chorus on "From" where they repeatedly use the word "Choo-Choo Train"... unless you're really stoned, AND its the sixties saying "Choo-Choo Train" isn't really acceptable unless you're six (AND you're stoned).

Here you might say: "Rob, its unfair to compare them to the Beatles... there will never be another band like the Beatles..." to which I'll reply: "You couldn't be more right, there will NEVER be another pop band as good as the Beatles. So, if you're a band, why would you make an album that sounds SO much like a Beatles album?". I mean, if I were, say, a writer, I wouldn't go out and try and writer an epic novel about a guy chasing after a whale... would I?

A little harsh? Yes.
Yet, I still keep listening to the album.

[mp3] Dr. Dog - The Old Days