The Loggia playlist: The Dodos – No Color (2011)

September 15th, 2011 | By Colin McCallum-Cook mccallum@grinnell.edu | Section: Arts

Verdict: 3.5 out of 5 PBRs

I first heard this album in the background at my friend’s apartment—he put it on casually, and it played for about 40 minutes. Man, was that a good 40 minutes. It set a great atmosphere for the evening without being overly noticeable or pressing. This is the sort of album that’s equally suited to being played at low volume as it is being blasted through your car stereos. The hooks and beats are catchy enough to get in to your head with repeated attention, but are unobtrusive enough not to demand your complete awareness. This is the perfect record to listen to when you’re doing work, socializing or cleaning your room—and I mean that in the best way possible. I feel that this is mostly because “No Color” rewards repeated listening.

What started out as a casual, background record quickly became something I could belt-out loud by the end of the month. Maybe that’s why The Dodos have largely managed to slip under the radar of the modern music scene. They grow on you. While other Indie bands try their best to stay obscure through some misguided sense of hipster elitism, The Dodos on the other hand seem like they really do want to be noticed. If they hadn’t already been putting out a steady stream of albums, EPs and music videos since 2006, The Dodos would easily top off my “Most Underrated and Unappreciated Bands of 2011” list.

With intricate vocal harmonies, lively tempos, and crazy percussion (Logan Kroeber is well-known for playing tambourine with his shoes), what’s not to like?

The Highlights:

- Kind of like a less-flamboyant Wolf Parade, but with cleaner acoustic guitars and lyrics that actually make sense

-Video for “Black Night” is like “Fight Club” filmed by art students

-Dynamic songs with multiple parts and choruses

-Young, casual, and spirited: the archetypal Band-Next-Door