Retro rock is so... now!

Dr. Dog's latest disc, Fate, is in today's world, a pretty quick follow up to 2007's We All Belong. After getting through the first couple tracks of Fate you might think, "wow, this disc sounds just like The Beatles." But then if you listen back to the previous discs you might just say, "Oh yeah, they've always sounded like The Beatles." This is not a bad thing, mind you.

You can probably classify Dr. Dog as an "indie" band that over the course of a handful of albums got a little more pop-oriented and started released higher-fi material. Some fanatics still get worked up by this all-too-familiar trajectory, and fear losing their favorite bands to (gasp!) popularity. Who cares? Provided that your fav band is still pumping out killer tunes, like Dr. Dog is, you should be pumped for them.

This set of 11 tunes is full of hooky melodies, multi-part harmonies and less psychedelics than previous discs. End result is a damn good album that you'll be dying to ask your friends if they've heard. As much as we talk about Dr. Dog borrowing from the 60s and the Beatles playbook, they can still take a recognizable lyric like, "I don't need no doctor/To tear me all apart/I just need you/To my mend my heart," and make it sound like the first rock song about begging a girl to come back. Keep an eye on Dr. Dog and their pending (gasp!) popularity.

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Dr. Dog is currently on tour supporting Fate and will be joined in September by Delta Spirit and Park The Van label mate Seth Kauffman. Kauffman recently released Research, an album that also nods to the 60s… the soul/R&B/funk of the 60s, that is. The production and tunes are both perfectly retro and perfectly unique at the same time. This tour is a not a triple-bill that retro rock fans should plan to miss.

Fri September 5, 2008
Arlington, VA
IOTA Club & Cafe
w/ Delta Spirit

Sat September 6, 2008
Atlanta, GA
The Earl
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kaufman

Sun September 7, 2008
Nashville, TN
3rd and Lindsley
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kaufman

Mon September 8, 2008
Birmingham, AL
Bottle Tree Cafe
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kaufman

Tue September 9, 2008
Hattiesburg, MS
Thirsty Hippo
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kaufman

Thu September 11, 2008
Houston, TX
Walters on Washington
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kauffman

Fri September 12, 2008
Ft. Worth, TX
Lola's
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kauffman

Sat September 13, 2008
Austin, TX
The Parish
w/ Delta Spirit and Seth Kauffman

New Releases: July 29, 2008

Kind of slow week in rock n' roll land...

MARGOT AND THE NUCLEAR SO AND SO'S: The Daytrotter Sessions EP
Makes you wonder why more bands don't package up those sessions as an official release.

PETER SALETT: In the Ocean of the Stars
A solo disc of tunes from the guy that wrote the tunes in movies like Forgetting Sarah Marshall. Who would've thunk it...

BOWERY BOY BLUE: Stalk That Myth
Lo-fi Americana from yes, you guessed it, New York.

JOHNNY FLYNN: A Larum
Country artist from London signed to Lost Highway. I'd like to hear more.

New Releases: July 22, 2008

BRENDAN CANNING – Something for All of Us...
The latest installment from the “Broken Social Scene Presents…” series. Expect hipness.

DR. DOG - Fate
Collectors will love that these Philly guys have released their new album in a whole lot of formats and special packages.

BLACK KIDS - Partie Traumatic
Hoping that this full-length lives up to the much-hyped singles.

BODIES OF WATER - A Certain Feeling
Husband/wife team (with band) still finding company with the Arcade Fire types. Big, atmospheric, call and response vocals.

U2 - Boy, October, War Deluxe Reissues
Some of their best work, no doubt, but do we really need to throw more money at these guys?

WINDMILL - Puddle City Racing Lights
The brainchild of the UK's Matthew Thomas Dillon gets a US release for his first disc. Comparisons range from Mercury Rev to shoe-gaze.

FALCON - Falcon {EP}
A truly unique backstory that is certainly worth a listen. They play songs written by an institutionalized middle-schooler.

BENJI HUGHES - A Love Extreme
You don't see too many debut double albums, do you? He jams in multiple genres across 25 songs.

LOW vs DIAMOND - Low vs Diamond
Five piece rock from LA. Comparisons to U2 and The Strokes. Brought to you by Epic Records.

The Hold Steady - Stay Positive

The Hold Steady's fourth album has deservedly earned them an awful lot of "buzz." The band has been on an upward trend, both commercially and artistically, for the last four – five years. Whether premeditated or not, the tunes have become more, well… melodic, the venues larger, and the earnings (presumably) higher. With all this comes critical and fanatic expectations that must be met. In this regard, Stay Positive does not disappoint.

The album opens with "Constructive Summer," a tune that could be the soundtrack to anyone's summer at some point in their life… if not every summer of their life. It's filled with great lyrics like the imperative, "Get hammered!" and the oh-so-true, "Raise a toast to Saint Joe Strummer… I think he might have been our only decent teacher." The first single, "Sequestered in Memphis," follows and from there you're hooked in. Suddenly the car windows are down and the Hold Steady are your favorite band.

But hold on for a moment, for the album departs from stadium-sized hooks for a couple tracks before returning with the classic rock ballad, "Lord, I’m Discouraged." It's in part a break-up song that anyone can relate to. Who hasn’t been on the other side of the hookup who, "ain't come out dancing for some time." It also talks about the fact that some new guy is using her as a speed bag during his brief visits. Oh, and Tad Kubler plays a killer guitar solo, too.

The previous Hold Steady discs have had fairly overt themes and recurring characters: Hoodrats, Charlemagne, and boys and girls, for example. Stay Positive's themes are a bit further under the surface; nevertheless, images of physical abuse, domestic and otherwise, show their teeth on a few occasions. Given the title of the disc, the album is fairly dark, especially when compared against Boys & Girls. Despite the darker imagery, the hooks don't relent. You might find yourself singing along with lines like, "magazines and daddy issues… I hope you let me kiss you," before realizing just how depressing they are.

In all, this is a formidable follow-up to Boys & Girls and a logical step forward for a band on the rise.

Don't forget that the physical release of the disc includes three "bonus" songs that are combined into one untitled track closing out the disc. Not surprisingly, each song is completely worthy of being a proper track on the disc, but I guess you've gotta create some demand for the CD any way you can.

New Releases: July 15, 2008

With the holiday behind there are a bunch of new discs this week.

NATALIE PORTMAN'S SHAVED HEAD: Glistening Pleasure
OK, we took the "ridiculous band name" bait and mentioned them.

SAM CHAMPION: Heavenly Bender
It's a band from NY, not a dude. Indie pop rock. Pavement fans? Sounds good.

SWALLOWS: Songs For Strippers (And Other Professions)
Boy/girl duo from Portland. People like to call their stuff experimental indie pop.

WILD SWEET ORANGE: We Have Cause To Be Uneasy
Rock from down South, but not necessarily Southern Rock.

THE HOLD STEADY: Stay Positive
The physical release of their 4th disc adds three tracks not available digitally.

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New Releases: July 1, 2008

The next couple weeks are a bit thin on new discs due to the 4th of July. Nevertheless, we highlight a few of this week's releases.

THE ALKALINE TRIO: Agony & Irony
Sixth studio album from punk-pop vets. Might it be too polished for long-time fans?

NELS ANDREWS: Off Tracking Betting
Indie/country/folk from this solo artist with a backing band full of names you know. Sounds promising.

EARLIMART: Hymn and Her
A quick follow-up disc to last year's Mentor Tormentor. Expect more indie/dream pop from this trio.

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The Hold Steady/Aberdeen City at the Paradise, June 26

On the surface this double bill pairing seems a bit odd, but it's fairly well known around Boston that both Craig Finn and the boys of Aberdeen City are alums of Boston College. Outside of that higher learning link there really isn't much that ties these acts together. Regardless, both bands turned in killer sets.

Aberdeen City's Web site indicates that they're working a new album and included many of those new tunes into their set. While I didn't hear a clear hook-laden follow-up to "God is Going to Sick of Me," the new tunes seem full of stadium-sized melodies matched up with arrangements that are probably too intricate (i.e. interesting) to work in that setting. And that's a good thing. One new song title was shared with crowd, "Dirty Little Rumor." Singer Brad Parker segued that to dispel a rumor that the band is breaking up, but did inform everyone that last night was guitarist Ryan Heller's last show. Still, there continued to be grumblings after the show that AC is in fact disbanding.


The Hold Steady was a bit more reserved than we've seen in the past. And by reserved, we mean sober. Despite this, Craig Finn had the packed Paradise hanging on his every word and awkward rock star stage move. The unlikely front man had the kids eating out of his hand for the whole set. The band worked through tunes from their three previous discs as well as hits-to-be like "Sequestered in Memphis" and "Lord, I'm Discouraged" off their upcoming album Stay Positive. Finn shouted into the mic, directly at the fans and occasionally banged out some chords on the Gibson loosely slung around his neck.

The public's love of the Hold Steady is bouyed by the Hold Steady's love for their craft. Their respect for the acts that Finn constantly name checks and the respect that each band member has for one another is evident onstage. When Tad Kubler pulled off one of a few classic solos (one on double-necked SG) Finn simply stood by and shook his head in amazement.

Let's hope these guys keep knocking us out, and knocking themselves out, for many tours to come.

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New Releases: June 24, 2008

BABYSHAMBLES: Oh What a Lovely Tour
As of right now Pete has a better long-term health outlook than Wino. The day is young though.

SIGUR ROS: Med Sud I Eyrum Vid Spilum Endalaust
Translations, anyone?

G. LOVE & SPECIAL SAUCE: Superhero Brother
Seriously?

LIZ PHAIR: Exile in Guyville {Deluxe Edition}
Truly great songs... mostly about Nash Kato

THE WATSON TWINS: Fire Songs
Jenny's girls are doing their own thing again.

Dennis Wilson - Pacific Ocean Blue

It’s all but impossible to say much about this album without bringing up this Beach Boy’s story. He’s the famous middle child that didn't quite have the vocal chops of his brothers, a guy whose brother replaced him with uber session man Hal Blaine on many, many recordings, and a guy who had trouble with booze and drugs and ultimately died an early death. You can hear all that and more on Pacific Ocean Blue, Dennis Wilson's lone solo album that was just re-mastered and repackaged with several tracks recorded for a follow-up album that never saw the light of day. We’ll just be focusing on the original POB tracks today.

Quite simply, the songs on this album ache. Wilson’s gruffy, prematurely aged voice gives further weight to the dense melodies and lyrics of this disc. “Friday Night” is the first track that really stands out. Fifteen years earlier in his career a song with this title would’ve been about chasing girls, drinking in the sunset and generally enjoying life. This Friday night is a dark, lonesome one, with the songwriter dreaming of music and wondering what happened to that latest girl.

Interestingly, there is a range of sounds and styles on the album. In addition to an adult portion of 70’s songwriter moves and poorly aged synth sounds, you’ll hear plenty of horns, dark atmospheric production, and some Floyd-esque echo. Seriously. The album is at times epic and consistently intense. Certainly not fit for an easy summer drive but might be just the right medicine the next time a lonely weekend night rolls around.

New Release: June 17, 2008

DENNIS WILSON: Pacific Ocean Blue {Legacy Edition}
What a coincidence... we just reviewed The Explorers Club

SILVER JEWS: Lookout Mountain, Lookout Sea
Berman is back! Again...

WOLF PARADE: At Mount Zoomer
One of the most anticipated indie releases of the summer.

SEBADOH: Bubble & Scrape
Lo-Fi pioneers get re-issued.

THE WAR ON DRUGS: Wagonwheel Blues
Indie ambient pop, apparently.

The Explorers Club - Freedom Wind

Here at The Heavy Hint when we hear of a band that likes the Beach Boys and then proceeds to release a 12-song disc that runs all of 35 minutes, we get pretty excited. We start to think short pop tunes, harmonies, lyrics about girls, etc.… and that’s a good thing, right?

Sure it’s a good thing. But then you get about three tracks into Freedom Wind, the first LP from The Explorers Club, and you realize that these guys like the Beach Boys maybe a bit too much. It’s all here, folks: the production, the lyrical content, the harmonies, and even the song titles sound like their lifted directly from some unreleased box set. Heck, the disc kicks off with the drumbeat from “Be My Baby” that Brian Wilson famously borrowed from Mr. Spector and used on “Don’t Worry, Baby.”

Despite this, there is clearly some talent behind this project. It’s rather amazing when you realize that these songs were NOT written by the Beach Boys. The Explorers Club’s ability to emulate their every move is impressive, if not a little Single White Female. You have to imagine what sort of attention would behold a band that came along sounding just like Led Zeppelin, and essentially writing new Zep tunes. Some folks would love it, most would not.

In many ways, we get it. We’ve all loved bands and wanted to recreate their every move, but we always thought the idea was to take that influence and do something new with it.

Band Site | MySpace

Reviews on deck...

In the next couple days we'll be tackling these discs:

The Weather Underground - Bird in the Hand EP
Their MySpace genres read "Indie / Soul / Americana." We'll let you know if they're telling the truth.

The Explorers Club - Freedom Wind
Apparently they dig the Beach Boys... let's hope they can sing too.

Foals - Antidotes

The Foals debut LP, Antidotes, seems to have a decent amount of history behind it, regardless of the fact that it was just released a few weeks ago. Long story short, they had a couple buzz-gathering singles in the UK, came to the states to record with TVOTR guitarist David Sitek (whose name is suddenly popping up all over), didn’t dig his mix, mixed it themselves and then had the privilege of Sub Pop picking up the finished product. Deep breath...

First impression after hearing the first couple tracks was, “where is the buzz coming from??” The songs at first are not very accessible at all. After a couple tracks, though, it starts to come together. There is a certain groove to the songs that is at times jarring, but then has us turning up the volume and wondering why we haven’t listened to more of TVOTR. “Red Socks Pugie” is the first standout track. It’s not our allegiance to a certain baseball team that makes us love this track, it’s that the fact that Foals find that hap-hap-happy medium between accessible pop and challenging prog. This is when they’re at their best and this track is the high-water mark of the disc.

The rest of the album is a mix of proggy rhythms and angular guitars matched up with (occasionally) memorable melodies. Other tunes like “Big Big Love (Fig. 2),” and “Hummer” strike that aforementioned happy medium and will get many listens from many folks. The rest of the disc, we’re not so sure.

Band Site MySpace

The Rationales - The Going and the Gone

What we've got here is the debut EP from a new Boston-based band. You can read the bio and learn that they like the Stones and Wilco and bands like that... but who doesn't? Regardless of those influences, there is something going on that is oddly a bit retro, yet very modern, happening at the same time. Right from the opening notes there is a "fullness" that is felt throughout the disc. Not a wall of sound, per se, but a lush production that serves these tracks very well.

The disc has bits of pop with "No Guarantees" and "Far Away," Americana in the way of "Cliche" and "On the Vine," and a bit of atmospheric rock on "Guardrail." Despite those various genres and/or sub-genres, it's the quality of the songs that holds it all together. Strong melodies and harmonies are consistent from track-to-track and do no disappoint.

The Going and the Gone is certainly a bold effort, and a large first step for a young band.

Band Site MySpace

New Releases: May 27, 2008

It's Memorial Day... just a few releases this week.

THE FUTUREHEADS: This Is Not The World
Let's hope that they replicate the energy from amazing debut.

THE RATIONALES: The Going and the Gone
Debut EP packed with roots, pop, and Americana goodness

THE SMITHEREENS: Live In Concert Greatest Hits And More
I think I remember what their popular tune was....

Released Today: April 29, 2008

Like most Tuesdays, a few new discs are coming out tomorrow:

PORTISHEAD - Third
This is really only their third album?

MUDCRUTCH - Self-titled
Petty back with his original band... and playing bass, too.

NICK CAVE - Dig!!! Lazarus Dig!!!
This guy cranks out albums.

SANTOGOLD - Creator
People are freaking out, let's see what the deal is.

The Duke Spirit - Neptune

The opening mini-track of a cappella gospel vocals isn’t exactly a preview of things to come on The Duke Spirit’s second LP (first on You Are Here), Neptune. But “Send A Little Love Token” follows it and delivers a punch to gut from this UK-via California desert quintet that will make a masochist out of many a casual listener (i.e. you’ll want to get punched again). This track has everything that you’re looking for: chugging chords, keyboards, a pissed-off-sounding chick, and a pre-chorus that almost has some dirty words.

The rest of disc is a mix of genres showcasing some atmospheric goodies, sludgy guitars and a general darkness. All those elements play very well against the throaty voice of lead singer Liela Moss and create somewhat of a modern psychedelia. Think of a female fronting Black Rebel Motorcycle Club circa their first two albums. Good stuff, right?

“My Sunken Treasure” might be the disc’s highlight. With a sunnier feel and piano high in the mix you can’t help but think Motown. Like most other tracks though, the Duke Spirit finds a moment to stick their shoegaze/psychedelic stamp on it, lest you forget whom you’re listening to.

Video: The Step and The Walk


Band Site MySpace