Post by thesoundmonitor on Oct 3, 2003 9:30:01 GMT -5
BLIND DOG
Captain Dog Rides Again
(MeteorCity)
By Talie Helene
Opening with an abrupt pummel of drums, then settling into an easy guitar groove, with punkish gruff vocals, sitting comfortably somewhere between Henry Rollins & Lemmy Kilmister, ‘Don’t Ask Me Where I Stand’ launches Blind Dog’s Captain Dog Rides Again a satisfying combination of melodic finesse and meat-&-potatoes rock. Hailing from Sweden, Blind Dog lay down a convincing 70’s rock groove; Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, & even a hint of early Motörhead in the mix. That of itself isn’t unusual these days, but these guys are GOOD. They know how to ease back into a melodic grunge vibe, with nice shuffle drums to keep it catchy, & they know how to swing. It’s a deeply satisfying combination.
‘Let It Go’ introduces clean vocals, and a touch of harmony singing reminiscent of Alice In Chains, an influence this song stinks of in the best possible way. ‘Would I Make You Believe’ is an angsty mix of grunge and groove, not unlike Australia’s Ammonia, or the excellent Brummy boys Sist, blended with a Sabbathy lilt, & verging on cookie monster vocals in the vein of Clutch. Incongruous, but it works. It won’t just have you tapping your toes; it’ll grab your heartstrings.
‘Follow The Fools’ opens with a sound owing a lot to Cathedral, which is not a criticism - but beyond that, it’s a stylistic smorgasbord. It has a psychedelic doomy Sabbath groove, moves into spacey wah-wah, a triplet driven epic solo that is very much drawing on the NWOBHM momentum of Angel Witch and Diamondhead - then in a head-spinning tangent, launches into a ‘Summer of Love’ acoustic reverie - and comes back to the opening theme as a short stop. All this variation makes for a long 6 minutes.
‘Back Off’ starts with a punk feel, but eases into a completely spacious 70’s blues instrumental - clean leads, a sophisticated rhythm section - these guys don’t play blues boogie and punk rock because it’s all they can manage, and in ‘Back Off’ you witness some finely crafted musicianship.
No question (and it isn’t open for debate), ‘There Must Be Better Ways of Losing Your Mind’ is the stand out track, with a scallywag wit, out-&-out groove, drumming that accents with the ride on the swing chorus and finale, and kicks back with a straight rock beat for the rest. While just shy of 6 minutes, this is another track that stretches 6 minutes out with free tempo changes, and takes you on an appropriately meandering musical journey. I defy any rock animal to not have empathy with the lyrics, and smile.
‘Be The Same’ which has enjoyed some fair alternative radio airplay, is a stylistic departure from the rest of the CD. It’s a comfortable chill-out after all the metallic rock. The influences here are pure David Bowie and John Lennon, but unlike the British Shoegazer bands such as Radiohead or Placebo, who also carry the torch of these songwriters, Blind Dog don’t dress it up in a wash of chorus or pop production. Here it’s still cut back to rock basics, the guitar solo is all blues, over an incongruous chiming keyboard ostinato. Hinting at a stylistic growth and potential ‘Be The Same’ will keep Blind Dog from being neatly pigeon-holed as generic Stoner Rock - and that’s a good thing, cleverly the title being a case in point.
Intelligent rock, with lyrics of emotional introspection and a punk social ethic, Captain Dog Rides Again stands up to repeat listening both musically, and lyrically. Never gutter-minded, and always musically engaging, Blind Dog deserve the praises they receive, and are a band to watch. Thomas Elenvik provides both solid drumming, and a touch of percussive class (not to mention a little piano and synth for colour.) Joakim Thell’s guitar playing is an engaging journey in style, and dominates the sound without being overbearing or unnatural. Tobias Nilsson vocals are a match to Thell’s guitar when it comes to stylistic range - there’s no way you can be bored. A particularly nice touch, in the liner notes the band provides their own explanation of the musical and lyrical ideas and motivations at work in each song. Aspiring musicians could do worse than pick up Captain Dog Rides Again to listen, read, and learn.
Captain Dog Rides Again
(MeteorCity)
By Talie Helene
Opening with an abrupt pummel of drums, then settling into an easy guitar groove, with punkish gruff vocals, sitting comfortably somewhere between Henry Rollins & Lemmy Kilmister, ‘Don’t Ask Me Where I Stand’ launches Blind Dog’s Captain Dog Rides Again a satisfying combination of melodic finesse and meat-&-potatoes rock. Hailing from Sweden, Blind Dog lay down a convincing 70’s rock groove; Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, & even a hint of early Motörhead in the mix. That of itself isn’t unusual these days, but these guys are GOOD. They know how to ease back into a melodic grunge vibe, with nice shuffle drums to keep it catchy, & they know how to swing. It’s a deeply satisfying combination.
‘Let It Go’ introduces clean vocals, and a touch of harmony singing reminiscent of Alice In Chains, an influence this song stinks of in the best possible way. ‘Would I Make You Believe’ is an angsty mix of grunge and groove, not unlike Australia’s Ammonia, or the excellent Brummy boys Sist, blended with a Sabbathy lilt, & verging on cookie monster vocals in the vein of Clutch. Incongruous, but it works. It won’t just have you tapping your toes; it’ll grab your heartstrings.
‘Follow The Fools’ opens with a sound owing a lot to Cathedral, which is not a criticism - but beyond that, it’s a stylistic smorgasbord. It has a psychedelic doomy Sabbath groove, moves into spacey wah-wah, a triplet driven epic solo that is very much drawing on the NWOBHM momentum of Angel Witch and Diamondhead - then in a head-spinning tangent, launches into a ‘Summer of Love’ acoustic reverie - and comes back to the opening theme as a short stop. All this variation makes for a long 6 minutes.
‘Back Off’ starts with a punk feel, but eases into a completely spacious 70’s blues instrumental - clean leads, a sophisticated rhythm section - these guys don’t play blues boogie and punk rock because it’s all they can manage, and in ‘Back Off’ you witness some finely crafted musicianship.
No question (and it isn’t open for debate), ‘There Must Be Better Ways of Losing Your Mind’ is the stand out track, with a scallywag wit, out-&-out groove, drumming that accents with the ride on the swing chorus and finale, and kicks back with a straight rock beat for the rest. While just shy of 6 minutes, this is another track that stretches 6 minutes out with free tempo changes, and takes you on an appropriately meandering musical journey. I defy any rock animal to not have empathy with the lyrics, and smile.
‘Be The Same’ which has enjoyed some fair alternative radio airplay, is a stylistic departure from the rest of the CD. It’s a comfortable chill-out after all the metallic rock. The influences here are pure David Bowie and John Lennon, but unlike the British Shoegazer bands such as Radiohead or Placebo, who also carry the torch of these songwriters, Blind Dog don’t dress it up in a wash of chorus or pop production. Here it’s still cut back to rock basics, the guitar solo is all blues, over an incongruous chiming keyboard ostinato. Hinting at a stylistic growth and potential ‘Be The Same’ will keep Blind Dog from being neatly pigeon-holed as generic Stoner Rock - and that’s a good thing, cleverly the title being a case in point.
Intelligent rock, with lyrics of emotional introspection and a punk social ethic, Captain Dog Rides Again stands up to repeat listening both musically, and lyrically. Never gutter-minded, and always musically engaging, Blind Dog deserve the praises they receive, and are a band to watch. Thomas Elenvik provides both solid drumming, and a touch of percussive class (not to mention a little piano and synth for colour.) Joakim Thell’s guitar playing is an engaging journey in style, and dominates the sound without being overbearing or unnatural. Tobias Nilsson vocals are a match to Thell’s guitar when it comes to stylistic range - there’s no way you can be bored. A particularly nice touch, in the liner notes the band provides their own explanation of the musical and lyrical ideas and motivations at work in each song. Aspiring musicians could do worse than pick up Captain Dog Rides Again to listen, read, and learn.
