In my experience, when it comes to artistic significance, less is more. The rawest sounds and descriptions delivered through the most immediate medium are the ones that actually connect with me. Every extra layer or superfluous adjectives ultimately end up cushioning the impact. For Dog Day, the decision to scale back the band to two members gives Nancy and Seth a clarity of sound and vision.
The band’s struggles, or maybe more accurately their unfortunate string of bad luck when it comes to breaking out and reaching the massive audience their songs deserve, have been well documented and dissected. Rather than fixate on what they were or could have been, Deformer finds the duo happy simply existing as they are. Drums and guitar, recorded at home. Vocals buried so deep in the mix that the duo would be best served to keep a few pall bearers on retainer. Dog Day has always excelled at keeping things lo-fi without sacrificing melody; hooks and harmonies push through the sludge towards freedom like Andy Dufresne, but this effort is more focused and concise.
I don’t think the band has ever sounded as good as they do when the propulsive riffs of “Positive” and “Scratches’ explode out of the speakers, but the grit of thickness of “Bluish Grey” is just as interesting. It’s minimal; Nancy’s vocals are barely audible and the fuzz is pushed high in the mix, but the song consumes you.
The stripped down sound also results in a heightened intensity that helps shine a light on the surprisingly infectious chords the duo hammers through. “Mr. Freeze”, a simple combination of fuzz and vocals, is taught with tension and is the perfect prelude to the (dare I say) pop closer “In the Woods”, making the 6-minute epic seem like an optimistic ray of hope. Not exactly how you expect a Dog Day record to close, but a welcome change.
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MP3:: Dog Day – Part Girl
Web:: http://www.dogdaymusic.com