Vibe of the Week: Post-Midterm Healing
October 19, 2014
Courtesy of Wakarusa.
Alright, I don’t know about you all but this past week or so can only be described as stress on stress on stress. But, midterm hell is finally behind us and that definitely calls for celebration. After the physical and mental drain of papers and exams, there’s nothing like a little musical healing.
Few bands succeed in putting a smile on my face the way Dr. Dog does. Everything about the Pennsylvania-bred band is great to me. From their enjoyable sound, reminiscent of the 60s, to the fact that every band member has a nickname beginning with the letter “TÛ, how can you not love them? I can almost feel the charm emitting from my speakers whenever I listen to them. I think that’s what makes them so great. Not only is their sound distinctly theirs, but their music has such great character. Each member of the band contributes to vocals, and their harmonies are never short of on point. They’re perfect for when you just need a feel-good song or album to listen to. Putting on Dr. Dog after a tough week was exactly what I needed.
Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Their album Shame, Shame is my personal favorite, boasting some of their most popular songs such as “Jackie Wants a Black Eye” and “Shadow People.” I love how their sound shows influence from various types of music. You can get a little bit of blues and often folk influence in many of their songs (for example the track “ItÛ). My personal favorite tracks from the album are the title track, “Shame, Shame” and “Unbearable WhyÛ. There’s an almost country twang to “Shame, Shame” that I would usually hate, but in this case it’s done in a way that even I really enjoy. The song’s layers also make it great, starting out slower and more contemplative and building up into something more upbeat with stronger vocals. “Unbearable Why” stands out a lot to me because I think the harmonies are great, and the use of piano in the song was a choice that I am so glad they made.
In short, I love me some Dr. Dog. If you had as tough as a week as I did and are in need of some feel-good vibes to recuperate, check out Shame, Shame.
