Eargasm
DR. DOG >> WE ALL BELONG.
PARK THE VAN 2007

The Beatles. David Bowie. Beach Boys' Pet Sounds. Late-'60s influences cry out everywhere on Dr. Dog's We All Belong. But it's not so much the music that communes with our favorite spirits of pop past; it's the medium -- a fully stocked recording room with 24 tracks and two-inch tape -- reminding us of a time when a studio was the psychedelic era's second favorite experimental playground. 

Big sounds. Big production. Big crescendos. Big fills. Everything sounds bigger on We All Belong, especially the arrangements, expando-contracto compositions that widen to make room for giant, instrument-jammed choruses that then compress back into subtler, more direct stanzas. Track upon track upon track, the layers grow and subside, introducing a new flavor each measure -- a tambourine makes a cameo for four beats, or a horn, or a weird electronic noise, then... poof! She's gone forever. Guitar leads noodle in and out of the spotlight; background vocals come and go. But while the cast of tones constantly rotates, each song -- in true, classic pop tradition -- moves forward with one single purpose: to weave the perfect hook and take up permanent residence in your brain, all with the help of catchy lyrics and a positive energy. Even the harmonies "ooh," "ahh," and "la" behind, creating that "if it feels good, do it" vibe, a philosophy that helped the lads from Liverpool grow from bubble-gum boy band to heralds of higher consciousness.

Dr. Dog are obviously disciples, clear from the album cover's not-so-crowded collection of cutout characters saluting Sgt. Pepper. As another generation of young listeners stands ready to convert with college airplay and even a gig on Conan O'Brien, we'll have to wait and see whether 2007 will mark their Sullivan-style debut . By Matt Walker/ Surfing Magazine