dream drawing - 8/20/08

dream drawing - 3/13/08

dream drawing - 6/9/08

music recommendation: dr. dog

i became aware of dr. dog through a mix cd from a girl i was dating who has since kicked me to the curb. i was none too happy about the dumping, but at least she introduced me to a good band. the philly-based fivesome's wikipedia page says they have five full-length albums, but i've only listened to their most recent one: fate.

my friend katie said that someone described the band to her as, "like the beatles, but better." that's taking the praise a bit far, but the comparison to the liverpudlian legends is not completely undeserved. they have a psychedelic pop sound that definitely borrows plenty from the fab four, but there are eleventy-billion other bands that you could say that about. but dr. dog are fresh and original in their take on rock and roll music. mixing frenetic piano riffs, simple but masterful guitar work, alternating bluesy and quivering-indie-y vocalists, unexpected melodic twists and turns, and appropriately psychedelic sound-effects, the group sounds like a farmhouse hootenanny from the 24th century.

key tracks on fate include "the breeze", a gentle acoustic diddy that grows into a harmony-filled mid-tempo groove, "the old days", a frenetic mashing of simple piano riffs and ironic, high-energy lyrics ("wrap up the money, save it for a sunny DAY DAY DAY") that's extremely catchy, and "the ark", a bluesy ballad with a funky baseline that alternately conjures CCR's raw emotion and the beatles' slick harmonies. there are no misses on this album, though, so just hit play and enjoy.

luckily for those of you in the d.c. area, dr. dog are coming to town to play a show at IOTA club in arlington on sept 5. seating is first-come-first-serve (no presale tickets). i will most certainly be there.

my own personal blog

welcome to my own personal blog. i also started a blog for my housemates (hooray ray house!), but since it seems i'm more enthusiastic about this than they are, i made my own so i don't just dominate the communal one.

i'm going to use this space to post anything i feel like. i have no idea if it will interest anyone else, but i hope it does.

i will not use capitalization in this blog.