The Dodos recruited not-quite-Canadian chanteuse Neko Case to record backup vocals on its newest No Color.
Dodos No Colour tempers its jam with plenty of honey
Music journalism’s a funny beast — sometimes you’ll read an entire feature that doesn’t even explain a band’s sound. Informative? Not so much. Thankfully with WWWH-at? we’re going back to middle-school English class: Here we’ll answer the who what why when and how for acts coming to Calgary. First up: The Dodos.
Who the hell is The Dodos? Based in San Francisco The Dodos is the musical project of guitarist Meric Long and Logan Kroeber. Having scored a minor hit from 2008 album Visiter — that’s “Fools” which you might recognize from a Miller beer commercial — the duo has released nine-song opus No Colour on French Kiss this month. That or you might remember them from 2008’s Sled Island. “I remember a lot of inner tubes on the river” says Long of his time in Calgary. “Maybe we’ll go next time.”
Right. What makes them different from every other touring band? While the duo often gets tagged indie-folk this isn’t your average cords-and-tri-blend act — nor is the folk label apt. A raucous blend of ever-shifting tribal drumming and overblown acoustic guitar its sonic palette is comprised of campfire drum-circles warped pop choruses and open-string ’90s jangle.
“It’s an amalgamation of guitars all playing at once. It’s a weird unidentifiable sound. Your ear may not pick up on it — it’s bristly weird tones that come out of it. It creates this weird anxiety while listening to the songs” says Long. Plus Neko Case sings backups on No Colour — and for once her vocals aren’t overpowering. They’re complementary. How’s that for a feat?
A feat maybe but that ain’t enough. Really: Why should I care? Because while No Colour is one of the year’s early best it’s pulled off flawlessly live. In person the duo has re-jigged its sound: Gone is the vibraphone from releases past as are Case’s backups but the duo uses a bi-pronged electric guitar attack to compensate. “We try to capture the same sound the sound that gets created when an acoustic guitar gets played heavily with loud tom-y drums. We haven’t captured how we imagine it — those two sounds cancel each other out in lots of ways.”
No Colour and Visiter aren’t re-created perfectly but who wants to re-create an experience that one could get at home? Plus it had the finicky SXSW audience held captive last week in Austin — impressive especially when OFWGKTA is playing down the street.
OK. So when can we find out if Fast Forward Weekly’s telling the truth? Head to the Republik on Monday March 28 to catch The Dodos with excellent Hozac records psych-pop act Reading Rainbow the best-named act in music. Sadly Star Trek: The Next Generation’s LeVar Burton will not make an appearance. That won’t stop you from wearing a headband over your eyes and pretending though.
How should I get ready for the show? Long describes The Dodos’ sound as “a little bit of jam some ham and two parts spam.” That might sound great — or disgusting — with an act of milk but thankfully Maric’s being glib. Instead The Dodos gut-rumbling drum display is best enjoyed with a healthy body-buzz. Or for those not inclined make sure to find a decent pair of earplugs. This might get loud.
