The new album from Philadelphia retro-pop outfit Dr. Dog finds the band adjusting its instrumental approach once again, although less successfully than with 2008’s “Fate.”
The band said that it hoped to liven up the music on “Shame, Shame” to better mirror the group’s live performances. Part of this plan seemed to involve featuring more electric guitars than the band’s more heavily acoustic previous releases. This aspect is effective, as the electric guitar helps to at least make the music louder, and the solo at the end of “Where’d All The Time Go?” is a nice crescendo.
However, the rest of the instrumentation takes a hit. “Fate” was full of interesting percussion and a variety of interesting instruments, but “Shame, Shame” leans heavily on the guitar and vocal harmonies in an attempt to live up to “Fate.”
The songwriting is up to Dr. Dog’s fine standards, and the album seems to count down to the best songs. While the first single, “Shadow People,” is a fun foot-tapping number, the best tracks are the album’s closers, “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” and the title track “Shame, Shame.”
“Shame, Shame” might not be a step forward, but it is certainly not a step backward.
