What the hell is “psychedelic rock?” What does that even mean? Images of tie-dye, mushrooms, and dirty hippies come to mind when I hear that descriptor—not the idea that I got at all from listening to Dr. Dog’s Fate.
But for some reason, that term is often applied to this band’s music. I’m not making this up, I’ll even back up my claim: “Dr. Dog is a psychedelic rock group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania which formed in 1999.” That’s the first sentence of the group’s last.fm bio. I don’t get it.
Anyway, I’m glad that this group doesn’t make music like I thought they would. This is indie rock, but it’s not indie rock like everybody else is indie rock. The carefully chosen and good lyrics call a little folk to mind. My favorite outside influence, though, might be the big band sound that I hear every now and then. On Army of Ancients, for instance, I’m pretty sure that there’s a brass section, and the overall feel of the song just screams 20’s. It’s a nice break from all of the standard indie that I listen to.
My favorite part about this record, though, I’m having a little trouble putting into words. Fate really put me at ease, almost. It just feels like all the people in this band are nice and easy to get along with—no, that’s not completely it…I think it’s that this record has a very homemade feel to it. It’s not that Fate is amateurish, but welcoming.
Swole Ear 