Dogleg's Album Makes Me Jump and Shout
I discovered Dogleg while at a DIY house show @ The Cave in Ypsilanti, MI.
From Ann Arbor, MI, Dogleg provides you with the perfect combination of catchy melodies, and powerful vocals. There is really no way to categorize this band neatly into one genre or sound, and that's exactly what's great about them. The first time I listened to Dogleg, I felt like an angsty teenager again who just discovered Paramore or Yellowcard. I couldn't help but jump around and scream the lyrics, and release the emotional tension built-up inside my stressed out college mind. Such a sense of innocent joy brought on by the emotional release from music is very under rated, and is a feeling I have yearned for a long time. My favorite part of this band is probably the vocals. Their vocals almost sound painful like the singer's voice is breaking up. Yet their sound remain consistent both recorded and live. This is where this band hits a sweet spot that gives them a lot of their unique sound. The raw energy of the vocals practically invites you to sing along, without caring if you sound perfect. You still crave to sing along. No one song Dogleg has released is quite alike. They sound similar enough, in that they are all clearly written and played by the same folk. But each song is like a different dish in a themed dinner. Each bite has a different flavor.
In their song "Calling Collect", the lyrics that resonate with me are in the beginning of the song. "Getting up is the hardest thing for me to do tonight, never seem to find the right words to say. "I'm ohkay", is the only one that stumbles out of my mouth." I'm not sure what this song is referring to. But there is another part of this song that goes "Help yourself, or help yourself to me. I'm trying to ask you, whats the right thing to do?"
These lyrics remind me of my own struggle with mental health issues. I asked the band what the song was about. According to the band, "Calling Collect is mainly about a battle/conversation with depression. For most of the songs I would portray it as a first-person perspective talking to their condition and trying to rationalize it and make sense of it. Calling Collect is specifically battling with the idea that you're always setting yourself up to fail when dealing with that." Alot of what makes this album so great is how relatable it is. I feel like there is something everyone can relate to in each song. Which again drives home my main point that you just want to sing along when listening to this album. If you are the kind of person who doesn't enjoy going to parties, but would rather jump on your bed and have your own party on a late weekend night, this album is for you! Anyone who doesn't fit in with societal norms can relate to this album. Part of what attributes to this bands sound, is that all their albums have been recorded in a basement. When listening, I thought this album was recorded in a studio. It's really impressive the quality they have gotten outside of a studio. The best way to sum up this bands sound in this album is D.I.Y. Their sound has grown greatly in the D.I.Y community across the midwest. They often can be seen playing with similar sounding bands like Swordfish, Complainer., and mover shaker. These musicians are D.I.Y through and through. Catch them at a local soggy basement punch-dancing near you! Favorite tracks: "Star 67", "Calling Collect", "Remember Alderaan?", and "Crimes".
