I’m not so sure about live albums anymore. I didn’t realise it was still a thing to be honest, but Pennsylvania’s Dr. Dog derive so much of their sound from a time when live recordings were the shit, it was perhaps only a matter of time before they put one out. They’ve approached it a little differently though. For one, there is no Flamingo Hotel – the 16 live tracks selected from recordings taken over a 20-show tour. Bassist/singer Toby Leaman told The Wall Street Journal the experience of listening to it “should be like you’re listening to a record, because you’re not actually at the show.” So it’s a live recording from a fictitious venue that’s actually several shows but you shouldn’t listen to it like a live recording.
If you’re bloody confused, fret not because the recordings are top notch, featuring and celebrating the best tunes from the bands 12-year, seven LP-long career, almost like a live best-of. Pretty meta.
Kicking off with the band’s most delightfully frenetic track These Days is a smart choice, a great launch pad of a tune that’s followed by a cover of Architecture in Helsinki’s Heart It Races which, dare I say it, supersedes the original. There’s just something about Toby Leaman’s ‘Bowie-if-he-sang-gruff’ voice and Scott McMicken’s higher, more Lennon-esque vocals that lure in the ears. At times, their voices intertwine so well it’s hard to discern who is who.
The taught but impassioned musicianship is also a highlight, no more obvious than on tracks like Broken Heart and The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer where their traditional setup of rhythm, lead, bass, drums and keys are best shown off. Though the songwriting doesn’t always smack of ‘60s and ‘70s influences like The Beatles, Bowie and The Eagles the set up and sound certainly does.
BY GARRY WESTMORE
