Oblivions Posted February 14, 2018 Share Posted February 14, 2018 (edited) New Dr. Dog album Critical Equation comes out on 4/27. Already up for sale on Amazon for $19.98. The band/label pre-order goes up on Friday. First single is 'Listening In'. Promo blurb: Quote 'I feel like I'm in a totally new band right now,' says Dr. Dog guitarist/singer Scott McMicken. It's a bold declaration considering he's been co-fronting the beloved indie outfit for a decade-and-a-half, but it cuts straight to the heart of the intense and transformative experience behind the group's brilliant new album, 'Critical Equation.' Produced by Gus Seyffert (Bedouine, Michael Kiwanuka), 'Critical Equation' is the most infections and adventurous collection Dr. Dog has laid to tape yet. The record was born from a journey of doubt and discovery, a heavy, sometimes painful reckoning that ultimately brought the band closer together with more strength and clarity than ever before. Call it an existential awakening, call it a dark night of the soul, whatever it was, it fueled one of the most fertile creative periods in the group's history. I really dig the single and hope they dig in a little more deeper than they did for their last 3-4 albums. A moodier, more thoughtful Dr. Dog might be just what I needed. Edited February 14, 2018 by swb Darnoc and DC1221 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unravelled Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 (edited) Ready for the good Dr Dog. New single is pretty dope, reminds me a little of Spoon. Funny but I thought Abandoned Mansions was pretty moody and thoughtful. That album was a total grower. Edited February 15, 2018 by unravelled DC1221 and Oblivions 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1221 Posted February 15, 2018 Share Posted February 15, 2018 The last few from them have been growers for me. Wonder if the band/label pre-order will be ltd edition or colored or something along those lines... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivions Posted February 15, 2018 Author Share Posted February 15, 2018 I'm a huge Dr. Dog fan, especially the stuff that Scott McMicken leads, so I did enjoy Psychedelic Swamp and Abandoned Mansion but they both felt like side project albums rather than a proper studio album of new Dr. Dog songs. Swamp was born from that live theater show they worked on (and revamping early demos) and you could sense it was an experiment outside of their proper discography and Mansion, from what I've read, purposefully tried to avoid over-refinement and keep things loose, which is interesting, but the songs ended up feeling like first drafts of songs that would eventually get scrapped or cut from a straight ahead Dr. Dog album, IMO. I really like the McMicken songs on there though, as some of them feel like tracks that you'd hear on one of his low run solo records on PIAPTK Records. Long story short, I like their last few albums too but I'm hoping for something meatier like anything they did up through Shame Shame and the 70% of Be the Void that I love. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivions Posted February 16, 2018 Author Share Posted February 16, 2018 (edited) 2nd single! Edited February 16, 2018 by swb Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stillalivetui Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 13 hours ago, swb said: I'm a huge Dr. Dog fan, especially the stuff that Scott McMicken leads, so I did enjoy Psychedelic Swamp and Abandoned Mansion but they both felt like side project albums rather than a proper studio album of new Dr. Dog songs. Swamp was born from that live theater show they worked on (and revamping early demos) and you could sense it was an experiment outside of their proper discography and Mansion, from what I've read, purposefully tried to avoid over-refinement and keep things loose, which is interesting, but the songs ended up feeling like first drafts of songs that would eventually get scrapped or cut from a straight ahead Dr. Dog album, IMO. I really like the McMicken songs on there though, as some of them feel like tracks that you'd hear on one of his low run solo records on PIAPTK Records. Long story short, I like their last few albums too but I'm hoping for something meatier like anything they did up through Shame Shame and the 70% of Be the Void that I love. Damn, Abandoned Mansion was incredible. I thought that album was perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unravelled Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 I second the thought on abandoned mansion. Definitely not overly produced, which I loved. And one of their best albums lyrically. I could listen to that album all day long. Back in topic, still cannot find a preorder link outside of Amazon. Supposed to be released on Thirty Tigers. DC1221 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1221 Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 10 minutes ago, unravelled said: Back in topic, still cannot find a preorder link outside of Amazon. Supposed to be released on Thirty Tigers. I'd keep an eye on their twitter or instagram. They're pretty active on there with announcements. Sometime today I would guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1221 Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Available on regular black vinyl, cassette, CD, and 8-track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unravelled Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 Underwhelming, heh. Guess I should've expected no variants as they've only done that once before. I was, however, hoping for some bundle options. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sVegas22x Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 43 minutes ago, DC1221 said: Available on regular black vinyl, cassette, CD, and 8-track. Ah, since there aren't any variants I may as well just wait and grab this when I see them on tour in a few months. I'm really digging both singles though, so I'm excited to hear the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiverse Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 I saw these guys live like 7 years ago and meant to delve further in, does anyone have a good starting point recommendation? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryantark Posted February 16, 2018 Share Posted February 16, 2018 (edited) 10 minutes ago, Multiverse said: I saw these guys live like 7 years ago and meant to delve further in, does anyone have a good starting point recommendation? Anything, except B-Room. (I love Be The Void and Abandoned Mansion). Seeing them at Observatory OC, come party. Edited February 16, 2018 by ryantark Oblivions 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivions Posted February 17, 2018 Author Share Posted February 17, 2018 1 hour ago, Multiverse said: I saw these guys live like 7 years ago and meant to delve further in, does anyone have a good starting point recommendation? 1 hour ago, ryantark said: Anything, except B-Room. (I love Be The Void and Abandoned Mansion). Seeing them at Observatory OC, come party. Yeah. B-Room is probably their most boring/lackluster album, although there are some pretty good single tracks mixed in there. I recommend skimming more than 1-2 of their albums because other than Fate and Shame, Shame, they are all kind of different. You might connect with one side of them and not care for another. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unravelled Posted February 17, 2018 Share Posted February 17, 2018 (edited) 16 hours ago, Multiverse said: I saw these guys live like 7 years ago and meant to delve further in, does anyone have a good starting point https://www.soundstagedirect.com/dr-dog-live-at-a-flamingo-hotel-vinyl-records.shtml?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwp_UBRD7ARIsAMie3XbtMz2z2ZhkdDNiPiM2bjW0qUsrfhT0wXhixVgHJsccOLa7m6225poaAtlDEALw_wcB Since your live experience was your starting point, I would suggest live at a flaming hotel. That was my intro. I co mpare that with MMJs O konokos, a fantastic live album and a great representation of their discography. Edited February 17, 2018 by unravelled DC1221 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiverse Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 On 2/16/2018 at 6:21 PM, ryantark said: Anything, except B-Room. (I love Be The Void and Abandoned Mansion). Seeing them at Observatory OC, come party. On 2/16/2018 at 7:56 PM, swb said: Yeah. B-Room is probably their most boring/lackluster album, although there are some pretty good single tracks mixed in there. I recommend skimming more than 1-2 of their albums because other than Fate and Shame, Shame, they are all kind of different. You might connect with one side of them and not care for another. On 2/17/2018 at 10:51 AM, unravelled said: https://www.soundstagedirect.com/dr-dog-live-at-a-flamingo-hotel-vinyl-records.shtml?gclid=Cj0KCQiAwp_UBRD7ARIsAMie3XbtMz2z2ZhkdDNiPiM2bjW0qUsrfhT0wXhixVgHJsccOLa7m6225poaAtlDEALw_wcB Since your live experience was your starting point, I would suggest live at a flaming hotel. That was my intro. I co mpare that with MMJs O konokos, a fantastic live album and a great representation of their discography. I ended up starting with Shame, Shame and I've been listening to it several times a day. (Commutes back and forth to class etc) I might try that live album next. Thanks peeps! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Multiverse Posted February 25, 2018 Share Posted February 25, 2018 indie exclusive apparently up at BM http://www.bullmoose.com/p/26880588/dr-dog-critical-equation-indie-exclusive Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1221 Posted March 16, 2018 Share Posted March 16, 2018 Indie exclusive is limited to 500. Apparently also black vinyl but with a signed insert http://creep-records-store.shoplightspeed.com/dr-dog-critical-equation-indie-exclusive-signed-in.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivions Posted March 16, 2018 Author Share Posted March 16, 2018 Magnolia Record Club is putting out an orange color version of this for their monthly club. http://www.magnoliarecord.club For those interested, there's an email list popup on the home page that gives you a 15% off code that drops the price to like $22. DC1221 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryantark Posted March 24, 2018 Share Posted March 24, 2018 More indie/signed inserts https://www.amoeba.com/critical-equation-indie-exclusive-w-signed-insets-lp-dr-dog/albums/4026299/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unravelled Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 Just finished listening in to the lp. Really nice mix although my paper sleeve was shredded! I'm quite surprised that the seam didn't split wide open. Anywhoo... I don't recall mention of this elsewhere but the entire album sequence is quite different on the lp. Takes some getting used to but I think it flows better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouTwo Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 51 minutes ago, unravelled said: Just finished listening in to the lp. Really nice mix although my paper sleeve was shredded! I'm quite surprised that the seam didn't split wide open. Anywhoo... I don't recall mention of this elsewhere but the entire album sequence is quite different on the lp. Takes some getting used to but I think it flows better. I think I saw somewhere that they had to rush to submit the sequencing for the vinyl and then they changed their mind before the other formats came out. On the album itself, I'm really liking the sound of this one and the vinyl sounds great. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC1221 Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 This album sounds great. I'm not sure how much this has to do with it, but this is the first album they've ever recorded in a real, professional studio with a top notch producer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YouTwo Posted May 1, 2018 Share Posted May 1, 2018 1 hour ago, DC1221 said: This album sounds great. I'm not sure how much this has to do with it, but this is the first album they've ever recorded in a real, professional studio with a top notch producer. That's interesting because I didn't know that but couldn't help but think this is the best one of their albums has sounded production wise. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oblivions Posted May 1, 2018 Author Share Posted May 1, 2018 1 hour ago, YouTwo said: I think I saw somewhere that they had to rush to submit the sequencing for the vinyl and then they changed their mind before the other formats came out. On the album itself, I'm really liking the sound of this one and the vinyl sounds great. Confirmed that that's why the sequencing is different. Their keyboardist replied to a comment on Instagram saying that they submitted the track listing for the vinyl production process then, later, had a change of heart and changed the sequence for all mediums afterward. IMO, the vinyl track listing is better. I don't like all the familiar pre-release tracks stacked at the top and there's something nice about the record starting by "coming out of the darkness" on a bright note and then ending with an energetic, rowdier song about "going down fighting". 1 hour ago, DC1221 said: This album sounds great. I'm not sure how much this has to do with it, but this is the first album they've ever recorded in a real, professional studio with a top notch producer. Yeah. I love Dr. Dog but they have slowly gotten so deep into Dr. Dog over the last few records that they've lost some accessibility outside of hardcore fans, IMO. Based on one of the interviews last week, I think they reached a breaking point (or had a realization) when they recorded Abandoned Mansion, sat on it for a year plus, and then when they went back to release it, they realized they didn't really dig it very much. Having a producer to guide them a bit helps them stay focused on making good rock/pop/folk/jammy songs instead of making very Dr. Dog-y Dr. Dog songs, if that makes sense. My anecdotal experience is that I've tried convincing indie rock loving friends to give them a shot for the last 6-7 years and they haven't been able to get into their records (outside a handful of songs) but I've had friends tell me they really dig this album. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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