The Dodos

Finger-pickin’ drumsticks

Somewhere back in the 17th Century, a squat, stocky, relatively useless (even for eating, by some accounts) lump of a bird popped its webbed clogs forever. Dead as. Here’s hoping the lifespan of San Francisco band The Dodos has a more fruitful existence. This folktronic duo is the pairing of Meric Long (who studied West African drumming), with Logan Kroeber (who heralds from the school of progressive metal). Stemming from the same stream of consciousness as Animal Collective, this is part psyche rock, part backwater blues – i.e. music to get ambushed in a neon canoe to.

The frantic acoustic fingerpicking opener of ‘Jodi’ breezes in like snow on a lazy morning, only to be soundly trampled on by the heavy syncopated footprints of a child in a tantrum. Logan Kroeber’s primal drumming is equal parts ‘man-fitting-an-IKEA-wardrobe-together-late-at-night’ and equal parts a tribal calling to the indie waterhole. The drums, which are central to The Dodos’ ethos, create a rhythm that should by rights be jarring against the delicate intensity of Meric’s guitar playing. Yet the two interweave with such driving intent that it somehow works, with each song conveying an intricate beauty of its own.

The fact that that this drumming at times resembles the shambolic nature of a school music lesson is not lost on the band. The name of the album (Visiter) was decided upon after a set played at a school special education class, whereby a child scribbled a drawing of the duo and misspelt ‘Visitor’ as the picture’s title. The artwork now appears as the album cover. “The idea behind our record is the sound you get when you stick your head in a drum,” said Long recently. It’s that fly-or-die mentality that will set this low-key pair apart from the crowd and one step ahead of the taxidermist.

The Dodos have toured with a number of artists including Les Savy Fav, Akron/Family, Jennifer Gentle, Wovenhand, and Peter & The Wolf. They also recently appeared at the infamous Amersham Arms in London on 3rd June 2008.

http://dodosmusic.net/

http://www.myspace.com/mericlong

The Dodos - ‘Foals’