Tuesday, September 23, 2008

Dr Dog - The Ark

Update: See correction below and in comments. Also, go listen to Dr. Dog on "Morning Becomes Eclectic"

Just discovered this song and video via NPR's World Cafe and the blog of Kanye West. The music is psychedelic and guitar parts remind me of some White Album Beatles "Happiness is a Warm Gun" and Pink Floyd "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" from Wish You Were Here.

In "The Ark", I really like the spastic growl of vocalist Scott McMicken (oops- see correction in the comments, thanks to Lindsay), in the refrain that occurs late in the song. The imagery of this video pretty out there; still trying to explain the role of the guys spitting the seeds. They seem to be guardians or something.

According to Dr. Dog's website, they have a penchant for diminished chords and 3-part harmonies. I am a fan of the harmonies, but I haven't a clue about the chords. I tried to do some wiki-learning about diminished chords, but my ignorance can not be penetrated even by this new information.

There's some similar elements in the song "Easy Beat" which is from one of Dr. Dog's earlier efforts. Still Beatles-y, but also a little more Beach Boys.

Dr. Dog "The Ark" from Adam kurland on Vimeo.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the nice words about my favorite band! Just so you know, "The Ark" is sung by bassist Toby Leaman. He and Scott trade vocals and song writing duties, and it can be easy for those of us who haven't seen them play live several times to mix 'em up. (Scott's voice has a bit of a nasal Neil Young quality.)

Old Grimy said...

Ah thanks for the correction. As you may realize, I just discovered them the other day, so there you go. Hoping to see them live in NYC in December.