In 2008 the Dodos caught people’s attention with their amazing single Fools. A highlight from their uneven sophomore album Visitor; it’s a heart thumping avant-garde pop delight which pits lead singer and guitarist Meric Long against drummer Logan Kroeber in competition for the musical spotlight. Within this dynamic the talented duo created a raw, vibrant, thunderous yet tuneful sound that hinted at a bright future. Their next album ‘Time to Die’ polished their sound but at the expense of the competitive edge that made their music so compelling. They’d become too polite, allowing each other to take turns in the spotlight until that the energy that friction caused had all but gone. I hoped that it would be a transitional phase for the band, that they would take the lessons learned from those two records onto their next. As it turns out my hope came true.
On Black Night, the opening track from new album No Color (released March 15th) they’ve retained the polish without the loss of the spotlight grabbing friction that made song’s like Fools exciting. The track opens with a beat reminiscent of the Animal Collective’s ‘Purple Bottle’ but with heavier bass drum and a greater leaning towards sounding pop than avant-garde. It rolls along with duo in harmony until around 2 minutes into the track, where they start trying to out do one another in a playful manner that's a delight for the ears. It’s effortlessly brilliant and leaves me hankering for the rest of the album. Ace!
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