No Color

The Dodos were always one of those bands I felt like I wasn’t cool enough to be into. It was, thus, with some hesitation, that I gave No Color a shot.

The nudge I needed was how great of a single ‘Black Night‘ proved to be. The power in the percussion really bolsters the track, and the the slidey-guitar riffs between the smooth vocals cements it as one of the best songs of this year thus far:

      Black Night - The Dodos

(The only shortcoming is that it’s not an indie pop song about Batman… OR IS IT?!)

I’m a little disappointed in how little attention I’ve given this album based on how good it is, in my objective opinion.

So much of my music-listening is influenced by the seasons, and now that the weather in Boston has finally warmed up, I think I might be in the mood for this record a little more often. The album has a pervasive feel of reckless abandon, which makes it easy to put on and just kinda groove to without a lot of focused listening.

My other favorite track, ‘Don’t Try to Hide It‘, features, like most of the others, jangly guitars, rolling drums, and Meric Long’s sublime vocals, but does so exceptionally well.

      Don't Try to Hide it - The Dodos

Another point worth noting is the presence of Neko Case (who is loved, revered, and occasionally lusted after, by the author) on the record. Her contribution is pervasive (about half the tracks), but quite subtle. A little goes a long way: to me her vocals really temper the Dodos’ sound to make them more approachable.

I couldn’t quite get behind their earlier work, but No Color is so polished and devoid of dull moments that it’s hard not to like after only a handful of listens.

The Dodos – No Color