Review: The Dodos - "Time to Die"


The Dodos get a production team.

It is difficult to muster enough thought to review The Dodos' third studio effort Time to Die. In short, it was a huge disappointment. Seems that with each successive record, the band's original, stripped-down acoustic vibe is lost as they progress closer and closer to streamlined/pure studio indie modified pop. The thing was produced by the same guy who worked with The Shins, and boy does it show.

Their 2008 album Visiter was largely well-liked and a huge progression from the first full-on acoustic great Beware of the Maniacs. So I suppose in that sense, Time to Die is a fair extension from the second album. Although it is no secret the third studio effort had large shoes to fill, it just completely misses the mark and is unappealingly overproduced, especially for a group like The Dodos.

So clearly the album didn't come through on the first listen. Perhaps a second and third playthrough will clear the artistic intentions of the work up a bit. Maybe it's a grower. After all, the buried, familiar sounding guitar riffing reminds us that yes, this is the same Dodos that are capable of lovable, folksy pop genius.


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