Tie dye your clothes, spark up a joint, sit back, and have a listen to B-Room, the 60’s-music-influenced offering from Dr. Dog that debuts next week. For Dr. Dog, a Philadelphia-based indie rock band, B-Room marks the eighth studio album release in ten years. The album maintains the band’s style, but with a revamped sense of enthusiasm that stems from the recording process itself.
The process of B-Room started with jackhammers and wrecking balls. The band converted a silver smith mine into a decked-out recording studio that, from descriptions, sounds more like a mansion than anything else. With dozens of rooms to choose from, the band titled their album after the one that spurred their creativity, the B-Room, “where band members would work out ideas while others were busy recording (or hanging out) elsewhere.”
And speaking of ideas, B-Room is rich with them. It is a tapestry of psychedelic rock music, replete with mellow-yet-soulful songs from cover to cover. The lively piano melody of opening track, “The Truth,” sets the album’s thoughtful tone, and, while this song is slow-tempoed, it conveys the band’s musical direction. This is well-produced pop music, somehow reminiscent of the Beatles.
There are several noteworthy musical moments on B-Room. The band experiments with different instruments, like the blaring saxophone in “Long Way Down” and the banjo-cello combination in “Phenomenon.” The seamless transition between songs “Cuckoo” and “Twilight” demonstrates the band’s range on B-Room. “Cuckoo” is a fast-paced rocker with a moving guitar riff and Crosby, Stills, and Nash-inspired vocals, fading into a haunting keyboard melody that drops into the eerie “Twilight,” a spacious, slow-building song that relies on strings and synthesizers to musically depict the ominous nature of twilight itself.
Without mentioning “Too Weak to Ramble,” a discussion of this album is incomplete. Stripped down, “Ramble” is an emotional journey featuring the angst-laden vocals of Toby Leaman, only supported by acoustic guitars and the occasional harmony from bandmate Scott McMicken. It’s a beautiful piece that finds its niche in the middle of B-Room.
Of course, there are some more-straightforward songs as well, including the aptly-titled “Rock & Roll” (no, it’s not a Zeppelin cover… nor a Velvet Underground cover either…) and the upbeat “Distant Light.” This is a great album, which captures elements from 1960’s psychedelic rock music and blends them into the 21st century. The collaborative effort of all six band members is easily apparent, an effort which stems from the titular B-Room itself.
B-Room will be released on October 1st. Dr. Dog is set to tour the US in the coming months, with a concert at Terminal 5 on January 25th. Hope to see you there!