After five offerings that refused to play outside of the same clumsy shadow of 1960s rock fetishism, Dr. Dog proved to be one of the most stubbornly stuck-in-their-way bands of recent memory. Previous release Fate seemed to be a step in the right direction-- cleaner production, more attention paid to songwriting instead of bland jamming-- but the songs still registered as lazy and reheated in an uncomfortably boring way. So it's a pleasant surprise that after a gruelingly long run of dry, indistinguishable material, Dr. Dog have produced a record that shakes off (most of) their pallid Beatles-borrowing and embraces a bigger, more charismatic sound.
Shame, Shame is arguably the band's finest moment. As if working in reverse, the band is finally making terse, jaunty chamber-pop and folk-inflected rock collages that would suggest the work of a younger, wide-eyed outfit. Perhaps thanks to pal Jim James from My Morning Jacket (who lends a hand on the title track here), Dr. Dog are digging deeper into their rootsier leanings, taking cues from the Band and CSNY. The songs are best at their springiest, with ragtime-y pianos, blooming back-up harmonies, and a healthy injection of 70s AM gold. Where previously resigned to the same kind of middling, simple constructions that often just glazed over, Shame, Shame's highlights burst into full color: tracks like "Where'd All the Time Go", a euphoric farmhouse jam that suggests the Flaming Lips at their most anthemic, distract from the occasional lapse into circuitous ho-hummery.
Dr. Dog still aren't the most inventive band in the world, lyrically characterless and often prone to plow into their influences so forcefully it's almost uncivilized. And depending where you are in proximity to your first cup of coffee today, portions of Shame, Shame might prove to be just a little too effervescent-- certainly not a bad thing for a band with a track record that usually ran contrary. The important thing is that these songs hit more than they miss, occasionally with shimmering resolve and a couple of really big choruses to back it all up, often quite memorably. Finally, some work from a veteran band that is actually starting to act like one.
