Dr. Dog – Psychedelic Swamp

Dr. Dog always seems to get a lot of heat from the type of publications that would run articles ranking Of Montreal album art by line thickness of color pallet.  Ever critical of the band’s career continuity and dismissing similarity for repetition, their consensus is that Dr. Dog is more content to saturate than innovate.  Such arguments perplex me, especially in light of the Pennsylvania psychedelic indie-folk act’s recent decision to revisit and reinvent their formerly unreleased debut album, Psychedelic Swamp.  

Dr. Dog’s unmistakable present day stamp mixes admirably with many of the ideas of and sonic themes framing their fifteen-year prior selves.  Those having never heard the original product will experience the murky layers of Psychedelic Swap as a new entry, even if the lo-fi leanings and clear experimental overtones mostly hint at Dr. Dog’s earlier years.  Like the boggy ecosystem they draw inspiration from, the thirteen songs engulf listeners deeper into an increasingly foggy haze of curious pop rhythms.  

Smoothly written indie-pop remains at the core of Dr. Dog’s mandate, and fans can breath easy knowing that Psychedelic Swap still delivers a healthy proportion of soon be favoured singles and fan favourites.  Standouts include the jovial, jazz-pop of “Dead Record Player” and fuzzed-out, distorted synth notes of “Swampadelic Pop.”  Somehow the invigorating yet casual energy of Dr. Dog permeates the haze, which the band later revisits in the acoustic, falsetto reaching “Fire On My Back,” and retro 8-bit flashes of chorus-heavy lead single “Badvertise.”

Experimental segments are little hit or miss, although they clearly work towards their swampy intent.  At about the halfway mark, brief experimental interludes like “Swamp Descent” and “Swamp Inflammation” begin injecting strange little sonic oddities composed of soundboard samples, distorted narrated clips, and generous doses of ambient, fuzzy sound.  While furthering Psychedelic Swap’s thematic direction, these brief abstract burst aren’t particularly impactful beyond the first listen or two, and might have been better deconstructed and integrated in atmospheric intros as per the opening crawl of “Engineer Says.”  Such a move may have livened up some of the less eventful and somewhat repetitious low-key tracks like “Bring My Baby Back.”

Psychedelic Swap may occupy a precarious space between past and present Dr. Dog albums, but on the whole, a well balanced combination of psychedelic folk-pop and early-career experimentation measures up well.  Naysayers and elitist may claim that Psychedelic Swap isn’t a radical enough departure to reinvigorate the stagnant Dr. Dog camp.  The rest of us can see that this ninth outing is yet another well executed dose of playful indie-pop.