These Young Pups Are Impressive

While they've lost the cachet of releasing their album as an import on German label Tomlab (THE mother-flippin' BOOKS!), Haligonians Dog Day are back with the follow-up to their 2007 album Night Group. Coming to you by way of the good folks at Outside Music (who have gone from being solely a distribution force to a label to be reckoned with...) Concentration builds on the strengths of that last record and exceeds even my wildest expectations about what these young'uns were capable of.

While the washes of guitar and keyboards mask it sometimes, the vocals are the heart of Dog Day and Seth Smith and Nancy Urich are both captivating singers. Smith starts opener "Happiness" with a classic indie-rock monotone delivery before some switching up to some soaring "woo-ooo's" and then he and Urich start chanting "this is the life" and the energy sells the sentiment. Urich takes center stage on "Neighbour" though it's not exactly in the center of the mix - instead her voice is like a disembodied presence floating away from the rooted rhythm section. Curiously, Smith's "I won't turn on you / I'm not like that" near the three-minute mark is front-and-center. It's an interesting choice.

"Wait It Out" is a particular favourite, with a catchy melody and hand claps (the hand claps get me every time) supported by a driving four/four beat, but it's a disservice to the strength of the record to single out favourites. Concentration works from front to back with nary a filler cut amongst the bunch.

The band is on tour with Julie Doiron (and others), and will be playing the historic Royal Albert on June 5th if you live in Winnipeg. Full tour date info is available by clicking on this link.

Concentration is available as a digital download here on Zunior.

Here's the video for "Happiness" from the new album:


Don't forget to check out Dog Day's Myspace page, Facebook page and website.

I'll leave you with "Rome" via the fine folks at Herohill.

Thanks for reading, now start listening...

G is for The Gorgon

Nearly everyone's heard of Medusa, but folks don't necessarily know that she was a Gorgon - which, according to Greek mythology, were vicious female monsters with sharp fangs and hair of living, venomous snakes.

Alana, Jen and Julia of Winnipeg band The Gorgon aren't vicious monsters, but their debut album Corpse Whale is a real beast. An eight-song record that sticks around long enough to kick your ass without overstaying its welcome, Corpse Whale is dirty, dark and energetic.

The energy captured on disc compares favourably to their live show, but the cover art of the trio dressed as monsters and vikings only hints at the theatrics they bring to the stage. Now that their album is out, they're preparing to hit the road, so be sure to catch them when they play in your town. And pick up a copy of Corpse Whale at the merch table while you're at it. But if you miss them live, you can always get the album from their label, Transistor 66.

Here's The Gorgon's tribute to Winnipeg's famed Royal Albert.

Check out their Myspace page for more audio from the album.

Thanks for reading, now start listening