Dr. Dog

It's time to reach for those Beach Boys comparisons again. Dr. Dog's We All Belong layers '60s-inspired guitar pop over advanced song architecture. Under soulful Philly horns, perfect vocal harmonies cascade similarly to those in old Zombies records, while dusty analog tape hisses like some kind of sexy snake. Mere words can't describe what could be the Odessey & Oracle of the 21st century.

On their 2005 breakthrough, "Easy Beat," Dr. Dog made scruffy indie rock that pushed
pleasure buttons while showing the band's seriously retro steez. We All Belong is even
better. The Philly quintet's low-fi, throwback sound -- cf. Beatles, Beach Boys, Chicago -- is
still in effect. But the more you listen, the less Dr. Dog's influences seem to matter, since
the songs are so damn likable. Dr. Dog's strong tune-sense drives winners like th... More >