
“Where is this going?”
Good question. Upon listening to The Dogs’ album Camping, I was struck with a similar feeling: This is a band with a lot of ideas, to be sure. However, this is also a band that is smart enough to know that fans will be a lot more receptive to said ideas if they are wrapped in the comforting overcoat of conventional pop hooks. After all, it’s one thing to claim you’re into new ideas in your pop music. It’s quite another to actually be into new ideas. Me, I like pop music. If I wanted to listen to Sun Ra, I’d do that. That’s the beauty of Camping: every time the desire to innovate seems to stretch too far from the familiar, whether it be the brief interlude of free-jazz dissonance in a song like “All is Forgiven,” or the electro-beats and orchestral undertones of “On the Highway (Come to See You),” The Dogs pull it back to something more conventional without it feeling forced. In doing this, they can have it both ways. They have an album here that is challenging and unravels itself upon repeat listening, but also doesn’t feel alien upon entry. In short, a camping trip with an electric stove. My favorite kind.
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Thanks so much for the review it was really interesting. I agree with the pop hooks, it's great ot be brought back!
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