Dodo Bird - Beware of the Maniacs
Dodo Bird
Beware of the Maniacs (Self-Released)
Grade: B+
By Jon Graef
Staff Writer
Though Beware of the Maniacs is a bit of a comedown from Dodo Bird's live show (they did a spectacular job opening up for Annuals), there is still plenty here to like for those who would enjoy listening to this eastern-tinged, bluegrass-and-Beatles influenced folk duo. The foundation of the San Francisco-based group's sound is a finger-picked acoustic guitar and booming drums, but the true pleasure of listening to Beware of the Maniacs is discovering the subtle ways the sound is augmented with electronic flourishes and delightful stylistic changes.
The album starts off with "Trades and Tariffs," a song that initially seems pretty straightforward, with a steady drumbeat and a guitar riff that alternates octaves in a way that sounds like if the intro to Led Zeppelin's "Going To California" was done as a punk song. Then, a bluegrass-style, finger-picked melody leaves the listener as quickly as it was introduced, before a drone chord returns us to the verse. Judging by the scathing lyrics, it's safe to say that the fate of the world is on Dodo Bird's mind (but what person doesn’t these days?). "We're a group of undecideds/while the fate of nations slide/we just keep on getting high ... we just sit and spend our woe/while the rest of earth just dies." This theme comes in other songs such as "Horny Hippies," but this lyrical concern is addressed most directly here. The contrast between the noodle-y, free-flowing music and the stark lyrics is a wonderful example of musical irony. "Trades and Tariffs" is the album's first musical highlight.
The most noteworthy part of this song, however, is the way that "Trades and Tariffs" becomes progressively more layered as it goes along. Though the song begins as just a drum and a guitar, by the end of the song Dodo Bird adds a subtle distorted guitar and vocal harmonies that echo like they came from a canyon. This is a great song because the guitar playing makes you feel like you can see the notes dancing to the music. Don't be surprised if you yourself are filled with so much joy that you get up and start doing the safety dance. Or maybe you shouldn't do a dance that originated in the Eighties. Either way, just get up and move. You will thank me later. This is the first of the album's many musical highlights.
The next few tracks aren't so loopy musically, but they still have an upbeat musical sensibility. "Neighbors" has a folk-blues feel, similar to the White Stripes. "Men" has a running, waltz-like guitar strum. The song pushes and pulls between consonance and dissonance, while the playing is of military-style precision.
The aforementioned "Horny Hippies" (and from what I have heard about Woodstock, "Horny Hippies" is a redundant phrase) is sunny, finger pickin' good fun musically. However, its lyrics are fraught with lyrical tension, both political and personal.
The album's second musical highlight is a lovely Beatles-esque song called "Beards" that is also Beware of the Maniacs first musical departure. "Beards" is the definition of simple and sweet from the very beginning, as the instrumentation consists of a guitar and piano. Think of it as a slower, more deliberate and austere musical cousin to Franz Ferdinand's "Eleanor, Put Your Boots Back On." It's my absolute favorite song on the album.
The second half of Beware of the Maniacs has plenty of songs that show Dodo Bird's potential for growth, the reason being that they display a greater amount of sonic variety. The echoing vocals, which when reproduced live, are a sound that could rival the best ring-side announcer, reappear in "The Ball."
The next track, "Chicken," is more of an old-timey blues number. "Bob" is another amazingly lovely song. It's nice and Dylan-like (pre-"Like a Rolling Stone," obviously). Songwriter Meric Long makes good use of his considerable skills at the guitar on "Elves" and "Nerds" is the best use of the French horn since Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Closer "Lily" showcases the obvious Beatle influence in Dodo Bird's work to wondrous effect.
This the perfect make-out album for horny hippies everywhere. But I have to wonder why Dodo Bird called such a romantic album Beware of the Maniacs?
Beware of the Maniacs (Self-Released)
Grade: B+
By Jon Graef
Staff Writer
Though Beware of the Maniacs is a bit of a comedown from Dodo Bird's live show (they did a spectacular job opening up for Annuals), there is still plenty here to like for those who would enjoy listening to this eastern-tinged, bluegrass-and-Beatles influenced folk duo. The foundation of the San Francisco-based group's sound is a finger-picked acoustic guitar and booming drums, but the true pleasure of listening to Beware of the Maniacs is discovering the subtle ways the sound is augmented with electronic flourishes and delightful stylistic changes.
The album starts off with "Trades and Tariffs," a song that initially seems pretty straightforward, with a steady drumbeat and a guitar riff that alternates octaves in a way that sounds like if the intro to Led Zeppelin's "Going To California" was done as a punk song. Then, a bluegrass-style, finger-picked melody leaves the listener as quickly as it was introduced, before a drone chord returns us to the verse. Judging by the scathing lyrics, it's safe to say that the fate of the world is on Dodo Bird's mind (but what person doesn’t these days?). "We're a group of undecideds/while the fate of nations slide/we just keep on getting high ... we just sit and spend our woe/while the rest of earth just dies." This theme comes in other songs such as "Horny Hippies," but this lyrical concern is addressed most directly here. The contrast between the noodle-y, free-flowing music and the stark lyrics is a wonderful example of musical irony. "Trades and Tariffs" is the album's first musical highlight.
The most noteworthy part of this song, however, is the way that "Trades and Tariffs" becomes progressively more layered as it goes along. Though the song begins as just a drum and a guitar, by the end of the song Dodo Bird adds a subtle distorted guitar and vocal harmonies that echo like they came from a canyon. This is a great song because the guitar playing makes you feel like you can see the notes dancing to the music. Don't be surprised if you yourself are filled with so much joy that you get up and start doing the safety dance. Or maybe you shouldn't do a dance that originated in the Eighties. Either way, just get up and move. You will thank me later. This is the first of the album's many musical highlights.
The next few tracks aren't so loopy musically, but they still have an upbeat musical sensibility. "Neighbors" has a folk-blues feel, similar to the White Stripes. "Men" has a running, waltz-like guitar strum. The song pushes and pulls between consonance and dissonance, while the playing is of military-style precision.
The aforementioned "Horny Hippies" (and from what I have heard about Woodstock, "Horny Hippies" is a redundant phrase) is sunny, finger pickin' good fun musically. However, its lyrics are fraught with lyrical tension, both political and personal.
The album's second musical highlight is a lovely Beatles-esque song called "Beards" that is also Beware of the Maniacs first musical departure. "Beards" is the definition of simple and sweet from the very beginning, as the instrumentation consists of a guitar and piano. Think of it as a slower, more deliberate and austere musical cousin to Franz Ferdinand's "Eleanor, Put Your Boots Back On." It's my absolute favorite song on the album.
The second half of Beware of the Maniacs has plenty of songs that show Dodo Bird's potential for growth, the reason being that they display a greater amount of sonic variety. The echoing vocals, which when reproduced live, are a sound that could rival the best ring-side announcer, reappear in "The Ball."
The next track, "Chicken," is more of an old-timey blues number. "Bob" is another amazingly lovely song. It's nice and Dylan-like (pre-"Like a Rolling Stone," obviously). Songwriter Meric Long makes good use of his considerable skills at the guitar on "Elves" and "Nerds" is the best use of the French horn since Badly Drawn Boy's The Hour of Bewilderbeast. Closer "Lily" showcases the obvious Beatle influence in Dodo Bird's work to wondrous effect.
This the perfect make-out album for horny hippies everywhere. But I have to wonder why Dodo Bird called such a romantic album Beware of the Maniacs?