Over the past couple of years, Dr. Dog has fast become one of my very favorite acts in today's scene. Their mixture of jovial '60s style pop music and powerful '70s soul combined with a touch of americana is about as appealing to me as a description of sounds can be. Helmed by the voices of two distinct vocalists, guitarist Scott McMicken with his higher hitched tenor delivery and bassist Toby Leaman with his soulful, demanding tone, Dr. Dog utilizes the effect of two radically different singers sharing lead on their albums to near perfection. On the band's first full length album with ANTI- Records, Dr. Dog strays away from the glossy production of their last few albums and instead attempts a more straight forward approach.
Rather than saturating the album with studio produced sounds and effects, Shame, Shame is instead a more stripped down, though still pleasantly melodic, retro rock album. In a recent interview with Dr. Dog that I was able to catch on XM radio, McMicken and Leaman described their desire to better emulate the band’s live shows on their newest album. While stowed away in an old church in upstate New York, the band employed the help of producer Rob Schnapf to try and slim down their sound. The results are quite spectacular; and though Shame, Shame may not be my favorite Dr. Dog full length to date, it is hard to argue against those who say it’s their best.
It’s more than just scaled back production that makes the new album different from past Dr. Dog LPs. One of the more noticeable differences is the more personal lyrics by both songwriters. McMicken even states that lyrically the new album is “a little bit more heart-on-your-sleeve kind of stuff.” Replacing some of the generic lyrics with more vivid and intimate words isn’t quite as groundbreaking as it may sound, the harmonies and melodies are still the focal point of Dr. Dog’s music, but it’s still a nice change of pace that fits in nicely with the less obtrusive production. The album’s opening track, “Stranger,” is a right off the bat example of the more personalized lyrics.
”Cause the masquerade is over, but I was barely there/ The mask come off the gilded cloth, yet I’m just barely there,” echoes Leaman on the opening track, his trademark, bluesy vocal giving the cheerful mantra a much needed edge.
It just so happens to be McMicken’s more leisurely vocals though that steps into the limelight on much of Shame, Shame. While I’ve always been more partial to the Leaman sung songs in the past, McMicken definitely displays his best material here. He sets the bar high on Shame, Shame with songs like “Shadow People” with it's steady build up and interesting climax and the album’s true highlight, and my favorite track on the disc, “Where’d All the Time Go?” It’s a song that would have been a sure fire chart climber in 1966, paced by McMicken’s subtle voice that’s all but lost in the waves of dreamy retro pop slender.
There really aren’t any dull moments on Shame, Shame. Though some of the songs never resonate quite the same way as the best and catchiest songs on Fate or We All Belong do, this album is more cohesive and well rounded than any previous Dr. Dog effort. When the album ends with the explosive title track, Leaman takes back command of an album in which McMicken had shined the brightest throughout. The song showcases his powerful voice as it cuts through the thumping bassline and the haunting background chants. It’s a testament to just how dynamic both of these vocalists are, seemingly volleying for supremacy of the album as each artist’s handcrafted song comes up on the tracklist. In that kind of friendly competition, no one loses - especially the listeners.
"Shame, Shame" is on sale April 6, 2010 from ANTI-.
