Dodos
Frenchkiss Records
(2008)
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Visiter is the second release from San Francisco based duo, the Dodos, and their first on Frenchkiss records. Throughout the album, singer/guitarist Meric Long bounces between natural blues/country finger-picking and abrasive rhythm guitar strumming, a slight reminder of early S/T Dylan-era guitar. Long’s construction of guitar and melody is centered by the primal and unique sense of rhythm of drummer Logan Kroeber.

In the opening track of the album, “Walking”, listeners may be be quick to let their guard down and prepare themselves for another beautifully constructed album from a young new age indie folk group in the vein of Sufjan Stevens or Devendra Barnhardt, but this well-equipped duo has prepared to keep the listeners interested. Long and Kroeber have completely taken advantage of studio recordings and created an album that is constantly keeping the listener engaged, allowing their knowledge of all genres of music, including folk, blues, metal, world, 70’s rock, glam rock, punk, and soul to seep into their new exciting sound.

Though every song is linked by one undeniably catchy hook after another, the overall atmosphere of the album has set a refreshing sense of uneasiness. Fan favorites, “Fools”, “God?”, and “Jodi” are epic stories laid upon beautiful melodies and driving drum grooves. But looking further, echoing screams on “Fools” and “God?” sound like Issac Brock may have snuck in during recording sessions, and in the little over six-minute anthem “Jodi”, the Dodos start off on an enchanting finger-picking journey that quickly turns to a haunting blues farewell song, then building to crescendo and crashing with a looping scream into the enchanted finger-pick that the song had started with.

The band seems to have taken full advantage of tracking and layering instrumentation, but their live performances only enhance the Dodos experience. By looping instruments and inviting an instrumentalist friend on stage to add vibraphone and other percussive ambience, the Dodos still take advantage of their minimalist approach but don’t miss a step translating their recordings to a live performance. With intelligent use of looping pedals songs like “It’s That Time Again”, whose base is laid upon, Long’s trombone-playing is shortly performed live, fed through a loop pedal and sung over without fail. A tight stage presence and performance proves the dedication of the band to carry out the vision of the Dodos.

The Dodos are well deserving of the buzz they got from SXSW. A band paving a new path using old traditions to do so and a work ethic to perform as a tight live band is a formula that can only lead to positive outcomes.

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http://dodosmusic.net/