Shame, Shame is Dr. Dog’s sixth CD—if you liked the first five you probably already have this, if you haven’t checked out Dr. Dog before there’s no reason to now.
Dr. Dog’s been making music for eleven years. They’ve opened up for big name acts like Wilco, The Strokes, and The Black Keys. Maybe I don’t get it. I see five guys who give each other nicknames that start with T, and make some of the most boring, inoffensive music in all of Indie rockdom. “I do believe that there are no more tricks up my sleeve” Scott McMicken sings on opening track “Stranger”. I agree, there’s nothing unique here—why that something to be proud of?
Perhaps Dr. Dog is playing homage to their influences. I hear The Band on the album’s title track; there’s some Beach Boys on “Someday” and early Wilco on “Unbearable Why”. The difference with those three bands is they made sure to make music that sounded new and different; Dr. Dog does not. Worst yet, “Jackie Wants A Black Eye” tries to imitate George Harrison guitar sounds, but ends up like sounding like a b-side off of A Hard Day’s Night. Shame, Shame is an album made by hipster bros -— a weird demographic that may exist but have no interest in seeking out further. Don’t expect much replay value from the new Dr. Dog unless you’re looking for more of the same.
WPGU Music Staff Rating: W-½
Key Tracks: “Stranger”, “Where’d All The Time Go?”, “Unbearable Why”
Recommended if you like: Delta Spirit, Fruit Bats, and Department of Eagles.
W = Poor
W-P = Fair
W-P-G = Great
W-P-G-U = An instant classic!
