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The Cure’s Robert Smith Goes Solo on Soundtrack, and Other News
The soundtrack to Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland remake is bringing out the big guns. Enlisting an elite cast of various musicians, from legends past to burgeoning stars, perhaps the most highly anticipated addition is from the Cure’s Robert Smith, who took solo duties to record “Very Good Alice.” Pete Wentz (Fall Out Boy) and Mark Hoppus (Blink 182) have joined forces to do a track together, and others on board include Motion City Soundtrack, All-American Rejects, Franz Ferdinand, and Wolfmother. (Spinner)
And some more soundtrack news: Blonde Redhead is composing the score to a documentary about Dungeons and Dragons. (Paste)
Ozzy Osbourne is back on our minds and in our hearts as he writes an autobiography and prepares for a bookstore tour. (Lime Wire)
Warner Music Group and eMusic team up so the online distributor can sell the label’s catalog. (CMJ)
Bon Jovi is slated to appear at the Grammy’s, and is letting his fans pick which song he’ll perform. (Spinner)
If you missed Kevin Barnes ride out on a horse last time he was in town, you may have another chance to see Of Montreal, who just announced some US tour dates. (NME)
Celebrating 20 years together, They Might Be Giants also announce tour dates. Select shows will feature Flood (“Particle Man!”) played in its entirety. (CMJ)
Read more news after the jump.
Dr. Dog
Dr. Dog
Fate
(Park the Van, 2008)
As a Philly girl, I’ve had a chance to watch Dr. Dog grow slowly for a long time, grabbing more toeholds nationally with each release and a relentless touring schedule. They were not the only band from our city of their generation to be proclaimed ‘The Next Big Thing,’ but they are so far the only one for which that prophecy came true. There’s an easy explanation for their success, and it goes along the lines of the old music industry adage: If you can’t sell out a venue in your hometown, you can’t sell one out in someone else’s.
As they’ve grown in popularity and critical praise, Dr. Dog have not stopped connecting to their home city or allowing their music to be nourished by the Philadelphia vibe. Their newest Americana opus, Fate, is an example of hometown loyalty that other bands on the rise should take note of, and as a result it echoes hauntingly with the ghosts of musical history and comes across with a beautiful honesty that makes it unforgettable. It is the same wide-eyed world wonder and consistent voice that pervaded their entire back catalog of six releases, especially their last two full-lengths Easy Beat (2004) and We All Belong (2007), and jettisoned them into the position of ’saviors of music.’
Wear Your Beatles on Your Sleeve: Dr. Dog vs. Oasis
During an argument about Dr. Dog that I was listening in on between my roommate and a friend of his, the friend happened to say in a derogatory tone that they sounded “just like the Beatles.” To that my roommate replied, “Don’t we love the Beatles? Why is that a bad thing?”
I thought his point was valid, and rare. We are so quick to fault bands for borrowing from their influences, when any one of us would be hard pressed to name a band that hasn’t gotten at the very least a concept and at most a whole career from some other artist or genre.
I’m going to boldly say that the Beatles are responsible for about 50 percent of the music that I listen to both personally and indirectly. But the more interesting point about the Beatles, which is totally singular to their influence, is that it is possible to take two bands of our generation who are known for sounding like the Beatles, put them next to each other, and have them sound nothing like each other.
New Music Alert: Dr. Dog Release Two Tracks From New Album
by: Daniel Alvarez
Led by an engaging, descending horn line, “Stranger” represents yet another coat of hot wax carefully applied to the band’s increasingly polished sound. The reflective number is a fairly straightforward indie-rock fare, a far cry from some of the group’s psychedelic, rustic past work. “Shadow People” is a piano-driven, heart-on-sleeve ballad that features the Dog’s trademark emotive vocals and a decidedly classic rock vibe.
The group is set to hit the road, embarking on a national tour that will run through the end of May, at which time they’ll hit Western Europe, Bonnaroo, and a few other festivals. You can also catch them this week at South By Southwest. As most anyone who has seen them live will tell you, these won’t be shows to miss. Tour dates after the jump.
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by: Daniel Alvarez
published: March 16, 2010
in column: What Goes On
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