Dead as a.....

It may have come out a few months back, but it's only lately that I've come to really appreciate the sophomore outing 'Vister' by The Dodo's.

I tend to be a bit weary of duo's, due to the fact that one half tends to be worse than the other. For example: Ike (wife-beater) & Tina, Sonny & (do you believe in life after love) Cher, The Fresh Prince & DJ (not so) Jazzy Jeff and Charles & Eddie (okay, we'll take both in this case).

However, lately there seems to have been an influx on good bands that consist of two people. Daft Punk, The White Stripes (though not my cup of tea), The Ravonettes, No Age, and The Helio Sequence, are all bands that have tickled my fancy, leading me to branch out a bit more.

Thinking about it, the reason I wasn't entirely sold on duo's was the lack of depth. I'm not saying that they didn't lack quality. Far from it. They tended to lack a certain something that other bands had. Not in this case. The Dodo's manage to give the listener depth and atmosphere, whilst using their minimalistic sound to their advantage.

The first track 'Walking' is one of the better openers I've heard on an album this year. It sets the albums tone perfectly. The album then proceeds through a journey of something that can only be called folkindiebluesrock. The amount of genres that influence this album is what makes it so strong. It keeps you captivated in the small world they create, causing you to yearn for more of the distorted guitars and twee-ish lyrics.

SeeqPod - Playable Search

'Red And Purple', 'Fools', 'Park Song' and 'Jodi' are stand outs on the album, which from the first few listens, seems to be void of any fillers.

It's getting harder, especially now, to find interesting indie bands, due to the sheer numbers of them. However, when a band like The Dodo's steps out of the indie box, its a refreshing change. I'm sure this will be up there on many peoples 'best of' list come December. I know it'll be on mine.


BAM