Dog Tooth Violet
Dog Tooth Violet
Independent
1999
5 tracks
Dog Tooth Violet's self titled release is not commercial material, and in all likelihood was never intended to be. Running less than twenty minutes, the five songs here are an eccentric blend of musical genres eclectic enough even in any given song to keep them off the airwaves. Over all, the performance is competent, but there is nothing which really stands out as special and there is a sense that the release is unfinished.
Because I am very familiar with all the members of this group through their work in other bands, past and present, live and recorded, I find this new release disappointing. While I can be pretty certain all involved feel they had put out their best effort, the music feels as though rather than stretch themselves they were just coasting.
Still, even coasting, this particular group of talented individuals manage to put out an impressive effort that is both unique and intellectually stimulating. The music on this release is an often intriguing blend which defies classification but might best be defined as folk-jazz.
Because these songs are clearly well-written and the music played equally well, it is hard to define what it is that seems to be missing. There is an energy, a spark, that is simply not there. It is as though each performer is doing his or her part just right, but there is lacking the synergy which would bring the parts together seamlessly.
Part of the problem may be in decisions made while mixing the music before mastering. Often it sounds as though some parts are overpowering others. If this balance were corrected, it might make all the difference in the world. As one example, Robb MacKay's percussion on traditional instruments is intrusive and even distracting to the point of irritation [in "One Love" for example]. The quiet, jazzy sound of these songs might have benefitted from the quiet touch of a kit drummer (something MacKay is very good at) but also might be better without drums at all. On the other hand, if the percussion had been mixed more background, they might have blended right in.
The vocals on both "Traveller" and "One Love" suffer because they sound like a poor Crash Test Dummies imitation rather than a sound originating from this group. This problem is compounded by the fact that this singing style is really not suited to the songs in question. By contrast, the vocals on the other three songs well suit the mood of this recording, being a soft, sweet mingling of folk and jazz styles.
While this recording is not perhaps as exciting as one might expect from the musicians involved, their collective talent creates an interesting and unique result lesser artists might not have achieved. Dog Tooth Violet is still, all things considered, worth purchasing for the eclectic section of one's home music shelf.
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Review Written: May 28, 1999
Page Last modified: February 14, 2004
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