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Review: Jack Foley
DOGS finally unleash their debut album, Turn Against This
Land, with all the fire, passion and vitriol we have come
to expect.
The band, by their own admission, don't suffer fools and their
music is delivered in a brash, uncompromising style reminiscent
of bands such as The Psychedelic Furs, The Jam and other punk
rock classics.
Kicking off with the incendiary London Bridge, their
first single, the band lay their stall out early.
Rikki's guitars suggest a stoner rock influence early on before
giving way to some harder rock influences from Luciano and setting
things up for Johnny's brash vocals.
Current single, Selfish Ways, follows along in quick
succession and really showcases the band in all their unrepentent
swagger.
The track is a hook-laden rocker that is full of hateful sentiment
('I'll burn your house down to the ground'), yet retains an upbeat
energy that translates well to the mainstream.
End Of An Era is packed with cracking guitar riffs and
loads of swearing ('what a wanker' and 'get out the way, get the
fuck out the way'), thereby providing further proof of the band's
unapologetic style.
While another single, She's Got A Reason, is a shouty
anti-love song ('I liked you better when you liked me as well....')
that could well become a massive punk anthem for Dogs.
Throughout, Johnny Cooke's vocals sound like a cross between
the raw style of Razorlight's Johnny Borrell and the husky vocals
of the Psychedelic Fur's Richard Butler, while the guitars display
a frenetic lunacy that is difficult to ignore.
Tuned To A Different Station is another prime example,
packed with fire and passion, and brimming with ragged guitar
solos that empower and inspire.
The odd track feels a little too prone to punk-rock excess and
probably exist with the live shows in mind (which are supposedly
wild), but on the whole this is an album that delivers on many
fronts.
There are even a couple of tracks that showcase some restraint,
with Tarred and Feathered one of the undoubted album
highlights courtesy of its indie-style guitar riffs and catchy
chorus '(what a bad boy').
The epic Red is another cracker, with its aching sentiment,
while the sharp, catchy Wait is one of the band's few
love songs - but really worth waiting for.
It's typical of the band's approach, however, that it should
take the form of a plea ('wait, don't leave me') rather than being
anything sweet and cheerful.
Yet anyone in search of compassion and kindness had better look
elsewhere.
This is punk-rock at its most angry and vitriolic and should
be taken as such.
If that's your scene, then Dogs' Turn Against This Land is
well worth taking in. It may be more of a rottweiler than a spaniel
but it's bark is definitely as big as its bite!
Read the Dogs interview
Biography
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