Metdog

Reviews

Metdog One for the Kids LP

If you’ve read my other reviews in the past, then you’ll know that I’m a big champion of the Australian rock’n’roll scene. However, there comes a time in a person’s life where they reach a breaking point and begin to reassess some prior convictions. Now don’t get me wrong, I still love egg-punk and I still believe that Australia has been the epicenter of some of the purest rock’n’roll over the last five years, but these DEVO/CONEHEADS-eqsue bands are starting to hit the proverbial glass ceiling and produce diminishing returns. METDOG probably sounds exactly how you’re imagining it at this point. Noodly, twangy guitars in lockstep with bass over a danceable four-on-the-floor drum beat. Oh, and of course the nerdy vocals. This is a good record, but it’s like every other Goodbye Boozy release you’ve heard this last half-decade. I will say, they do have a creative use of the synth, utilizing more modern patches over the typical Casio/electric organ options, but there’s still a lot of that, too. Might be worth a spin for the most diehard of the hard-boiled dorks like myself.

Metdog Questions and Answers Regarding Computers and Screens LP

Do you remember the scene in Napoleon Dynamite where Kip sings “I love technology” over a Casio beat at his wedding? Imagine that with backing by ERIK NERVOUS and you have Melbourne band METDOG’s new record. A concept album of sorts, these thirteen songs are, as the title suggests, all about computers and screens. Opener “First and Last Day of My Life” is about the day Dad brought home a PC and changed the course of the singer’s personal history. The track list gives away the lyrical content for the rest: “What My Computer’s For,” “Screen Time,” “Computer Talk,” “Computer Games,” etc. You get the idea. Musically, the band buzzes with scruffy pop that intertwines guitar leads with bubbling synth washes and will resonate with fans of GEE TEE, RESEARCH REACTOR CORP., and, of course, DEVO. There are quite a few nice surprises, like when “Hey Siri” moves from garage punk to a pounding NEW ORDER-style club beat, and the synth take on “Miserlou” on “Surfing the Web” that probably has DICK DALE posthumously pissed. It’s a fun, low-stakes time for very online eggos. There is a vinyl pressing, but I think this one is better suited for digital download.