Dr. Dog’s B-Room
17 May 2021
A wee bit of background before we get down to the review:
Dr. Dog is an American indie/psychedelic rock band that started up nearly two decades ago, and have since released multiple albums that have reached top 50 in the charts. B-Room is their seventh studio album and was their first album to be recorded in their new studio at the time.
B-Room originally only has 12 tracks, but the deluxe version has 15. I’ll be reviewing the 15-track listing.
There’s a park near where I work that I like to go to after my shifts, if I’m off before dark, and I had enough time today to listen to the album there. I don’t know too terribly much about this band, and I didn’t know more than one of their songs before I started the album, so this one was new to me!
The tone of the album is generally upbeat, and the overall lo-fi, almost gritty quality of the sound gives the songs a distinctly indie vibe. There’s a lot of imagery, metaphorical and literal, used in the lyrics, and a variety of instruments throughout the album. Some of the songs tell stories or paint pictures, such as Rock & Roll’s coming-of-age nostalgia, or Phenomenon’s vivid metaphors. There are two main vocalists, and numerous background vocals, which blend wonderfully for alternating harmonies.
I enjoyed the whole album, but my favorite tracks were The Truth, Phenomenon (I’m a fan of the banjo), Long Way Down (the use of echoing vocals furthered the idea of being a long way down), Love (composed a wee bit like a 70s prom theme describing ideas of the representation of love and its potential meanings), Nellie (I adore the layering of composition), Mt. Slippery (a Capella with lovely harmonies), Can’t Remember (driven by the piano and bass), and Humble Passenger (written in a ballad-like style, this one tells the story of a strange dream).
The lyrics that stood out to me, personally, the most in this album come from Long Way Down, Nellie, and Humble Passenger, respectively.
“For them, I will be brave.”
“Got an old notebook, and it’s filled with bits and baubles
I want to tighten it up, yeah, and put it in her room
Between a hyacinth, and a book of Aesop’s Fables
I wanna go there soon...”
“Your fear is gonna cost a lot, but your courage comes for free.”
Overall, I really did enjoy listening to this album, I’d give it four out of five indie psychedelic frogs. I’m open to recommendations for future reviews! Next time, I’ll be reviewing an album by a band called Silent Planet.
Thanks for listening with me!
