Dog Day

Night Group

(Tomlab)

Record Review by Marcel Feldmar

Moving somewhere between straight ahead pop and off kilter rhythmic dynamics that remain, still, simple and forward, Dog Day float somewhere that’s nestled right between my ears at the back of my head, right between neck and spine. Hints of a slightly more melodic My Dad Is Dead fall across that dueling vocal Rainer Maria touched beauty. The simplicity and honesty that you could find in the beats and words of Say Hi To Your Mom mixed with a knowledge and intuitiveness that could be found in bands like the Pixies or Sonic Youth – though the noise is kept at a minimum, used only as perfect punctuation between sonic thoughts.

The rhythms and mood of the music is pushed ahead by almost happy sounding drums and keyboards, while the seriousness of the sound is implied by the matter-of-fact vocals that move across the basslines, creating a darkness within the songs. It never feels too heavy, but you know that even if you are bouncing around, enjoying the tunes, there is something real here that’s being said, and at the same time – just because it’s real, it doesn’t mean you have to take it all too seriously. It’s like if The Smiths got happier at times, but still sounded just as good.