Dodos - Carrier

  by Benjamin Howarth

published: 15 / 8 / 2013

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Review

Formed by guitarist, singer and songwriter Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber in 2005, the Dodos (having changed their name from Dodo Bird after a low key début album) have reached five albums with 'Carrier'. It is the band's first since the untimely death of touring guitarist Christopher Reimer (a former member of Canadian foursome Woman). Reimer had played with the band since the release of their fourth album, 'No Color', and had been responsible for broadening the band's sound away from the familiar combination of busy drums and fingerpicked acoustic guitar. Instead, on that tour, the band played full-throttle rock, with huge riffs and dense layers of guitar noise. Faced with the tragedy of Reimer's death, the Dodos have found comfort in doing what they know best. Having sought to experiment with denser song structures on their last album, and then with a more expansive live sound, this album is a return to the pretty, busy indie-pop that first caught listener's ears. It has much more in common with third album 'Time tTo Die' than its predecessor. Seemingly stung by (rather unfair) criticism that their third record had been overly polished and too conventional, they perhaps overcompensated on their fourth. 'No Color' was a fine record – but it felt on occasion that the band were more worried about pleasing the critics than pleasing themselves. You wished the band would let loose, as they had done to such great effect before. Less thought appears to have gone into 'Carrier', and now the balance between pop melodies, clear production and the unpredictability of their earliest work has been struck. The songs combine everything that has made the Dodos so good in the past – never shying away from a catchy tune, a frenetic drum pattern, a hyperactive shift in rhythm or a wig-out guitar solo. What makes it so much fun to listen to are the regular points at which you are stopped, and left thinking, “Oh, I didn't expect that song to do THAT”. With each listen, you notice another clever musical idea – noticing how much this duo do with so little. Toe-tapper follows toe-tapper – with Kroeber in especially immense form. The contrast of his mechanically tight drums with Long's effortlessly tuneful folk pop is simply glorious. Meanwhile, Long is a guitarist as comfortable fingerpicking his way through a lilting acoustic ballad as he is blasting out feedback-drenched blasts of electric guitar. Though there are occasional adornments of trumpet and cello (provided by local collective the Magik Magik Orchestra), most of the album finds the Dodos performing as a duo. Having worked with a third member on each of their last albums, its rather a relief to hear them settling back into playing with just each other. Two such gifted performers really don't need anyone else. This is a modest, unassuming album – 11 light pop songs in 41 minutes. But from a band who had become guilty of trying a little too hard, that is a sweet relief. Out of the genuine tragedy of losing a friend and colleague far too young, the Dodos have taken a tactical retreat, and re-emerged with the best work of their career. 'Carrier' is a must-buy.

Track Listing:-

1 Transformer
2 Substance
3 Confidence
4 Stranger
5 Relief
6 Holidays
7 Family
8 The Current
9 Destroyer
10 Death
11 The Ocean

Band Links:-

https://www.facebook.com/dodosmusic/
http://www.dodosmusic.net/
https://twitter.com/TheDodos
https://instagram.com/dodosmusic/

Label Links:-

https://www.polyvinylrecords.com/#/
https://www.facebook.com/polyvinylreco
https://plus.google.com/10786392739415
https://twitter.com/polyvinyl
http://polyvinylrecords.tumblr.com/
https://www.youtube.com/user/Polyvinyl