Send "The Moondoggies " Ringtones to your Cell 
| Pitchfork |
 If you're putting together a rootsy indie folk band, I can understand choosing a name that involves animals. It makes you sound pantheistic and totally in tune with nature, yet also more primal and badass than if you'd just invoked trees or rivers or something. So-- Fleet Foxes, Band of Horses, Grizzly Bear, Department of Eagles-- I get it. But the Moondoggies? Really? Doesn't this name sound like it'd belong to a group of genial, balding, middle-aged dudes singing jokey songs about life on the prairie? Something not too far removed from the Gourds maybe?Nope, the Moondoggies actually have far more in common with those aforementioned, better-named bands, MAKING a manful, harmony-heavy brand of Americana rock modeled after fragile but forceful legends Neil Young, the Band, and the Grateful Dead. Tidelands, by contrast, finds the Moondoggies (and particularly lead singer Kevin Murphy) admirably striving to find their own voice, yet it's frequently a more crabbed and deliberate album than its predecessor. In other words, a quintessential example of artistic growing pains. The Moondoggies, like indie-folk leading lights Fleet Foxes and Grizzly Bear, draw great strength from their vocal harmonies. In the Moondoggies' case, these harmonies frequently take on a gospel tinge, and they're intrinsic to the success of all of Tidelands' best songs. But unlike those freak-folk-friendly acts, these guys don't really isolate their harmonies or deploy them in unexpected places, instead tying them down pretty firmly to trad-rock strictures....full text |
| Hearya |
| Whatever happened to the album? In a landscape of fickle, impatient music consumers that choose to download $1 singles for their iPod playlists, The Moondoggies cater to a different audience. In Tidelands, the Seattle band embarks on a unified body of work where each song ebbs, flows, and drifts into the next. The album’s title is well-suited for the music. Acoustic songs like “Empress Of The North” and “A Lot Of People On My Mind” shimmer like sunlight off ripples of calm water while “What Took So Long” and “Down The Well” rise into violent squalls before again finding calmer waters in “Uncertain” and “Can’t Be In The Middle.” I first fell in love with the band back on ’08 and was astonished with their performance of a song called “It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity” on a ferry boat outside of Seattle (see below). It was easy to recognize the talent in the unknown band, mostly due to the three-part harmonies. That song finally emerged as the lead track on Tidelands. It begins this incredible voyage where each song knows it’s place. There’s no show-boating. No standouts. No mediocrity....full text |
| Doobieradio |
| I wasn't sure what to think when I was looking through my Doobie new music CDs and stumbled upon a band called Moondoggies (makes me think of Gidget a little too much). Plus, there's a pamphlet inside that talks about the tides and how they influenced this album. Listening to a sophomore effort of a band you've never heard of can be kind of a toss-up, too. However, I was completely blown out of the water by this album because it's catchy, folksy (in a good way), and has just the right amount of acoustic and emotional fervor to make me want to continue listening. The starting track, "It's A Shame, It's A Pity" has just the right amount of energy to bring you in, while the next song, "Tidelands" has a nice, soothing, revitalizing quality that keeps you bopping your head while relaxing. This Seattle band sounds a lot like the chill jazzy-ness of Van Morrison while veering into pop-rock territory with bands like Kaiser Chiefs or The Killers. It's a unique sound, especially with the folk aspect, reminding me of Guster's earlier tunes. The album goes from rock-ier tunes like "Uncertain" and "Lead Me On" to much slower tunes like "Empress Of The North" and "Can't Be In The Middle." The songs even have an 80's rock vibe in parts (much to the Kaiser Chief and The Killers comparisons), which definitely enhances the mass appeal of this band. The Moondoggies are definitely talented and have some great tunes which are not to be missed. A few other fantastic tracks (although this whole album is awesome!) are "Can't Be In The Middle," "We Can't All Be Blessed," and "A Lot Of People On My Mind."...full text |
| Doobieradio |
| I wasn't sure what to think when I was looking through my Doobie new music CDs and stumbled upon a band called Moondoggies (makes me think of Gidget a little too much). Plus, there's a pamphlet inside that talks about the tides and how they influenced this album. Listening to a sophomore effort of a band you've never heard of can be kind of a toss-up, too. However, I was completely blown out of the water by this album because it's catchy, folksy (in a good way), and has just the right amount of acoustic and emotional fervor to make me want to continue listening. The starting track, "It's A Shame, It's A Pity" has just the right amount of energy to bring you in, while the next song, "Tidelands" has a nice, soothing, revitalizing quality that keeps you bopping your head while relaxing. This Seattle band sounds a lot like the chill jazzy-ness of Van Morrison while veering into pop-rock territory with bands like Kaiser Chiefs or The Killers. It's a unique sound, especially with the folk aspect, reminding me of Guster's earlier tunes. The album goes from rock-ier tunes like "Uncertain" and "Lead Me On" to much slower tunes like "Empress Of The North" and "Can't Be In The Middle." The songs even have an 80's rock vibe in parts (much to the Kaiser Chief and The Killers comparisons), which definitely enhances the mass appeal of this band. The Moondoggies are definitely talented and have some great tunes which are not to be missed. A few other fantastic tracks (although this whole album is awesome!) are "Can't Be In The Middle," "We Can't All Be Blessed," and "A Lot Of People On My Mind."...full text |
The Moondoggies lyrics
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