Fate (Dr. Dog album)
Fate is the fifth album by Philadelphia indie rock band Dr. Dog. It was released on July 22, 2008. The album introduces some new studio elements to their established indie rock sound.[1]
| Fate | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | July 22, 2008 | |||
| Genre | Indie rock, Americana, neo-psychedelia, chamber pop | |||
| Length | 44:15 | |||
| Label | Park the Van | |||
| Dr. Dog chronology | ||||
| ||||
Background
Pre-orders from the album, depending on where it was pre-ordered, included signed CD art, a signed or unsigned 7" with two new songs ('The Dearly Departed' and 'Is It Worth My Time'), stickers, posters, t-shirts, and the album on vinyl.
The song "My Friend" was featured in trailers for the Judd Apatow film Funny People.[2]
Album cover
The cover is a picture of a painting with the outlines sewn on done by Chicago native Ken Ellis. It was directly inspired by a picture of ill-fated outlaw duo Bonnie and Clyde.[3] When the members of Dr. Dog saw the painting at Chicago's Rainbo Club, where Ellis bartended, they quickly bought it from him.[4] They then used it as the album cover because they thought it fit with the general aesthetic of the album.
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AbsolutePunk.net | (88%) [5] |
| Allmusic |    |
| Billboard | (Positive) [7] |
| Entertainment Weekly | (A-) [8] |
| Filter | (93%) |
| Rolling Stone | |
| Pitchfork Media | (5.5/10)[10] |
Track listing
All tracks are written by Dr. Dog.
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "The Breeze" | 3:59 |
| 2. | "Hang On" | 4:01 |
| 3. | "The Old Days" | 3:41 |
| 4. | "Army of Ancients" | 4:05 |
| 5. | "The Rabbit, the Bat, and the Reindeer" | 3:29 |
| 6. | "The Ark" | 3:37 |
| 7. | "From" | 4:39 |
| 8. | "100 Years" | 4:06 |
| 9. | "Uncovering the Old" | 3:21 |
| 10. | "The Beach" | 3:41 |
| 11. | "My Friend" | 5:36 |
| Total length: | 44:15 | |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The Dearly Departed" | 3:00 |
| 13. | "Is It Worth My Time?" | 3:56 |
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 12. | "The Dearly Departed" | 3:14 |
| 13. | "Drop Me Off" | 4:03 |
| 14. | "From (alternate version)" | 5:10 |
Personnel
Dr. Dog performed, recorded and wrote the songs and consists of:
- Toby Leaman - vocals, bass, upright bass
- Scott McMicken - vocals, lead guitar, piano
- Frank McElroy - rhythm guitar, vocals
- Zach Miller - keyboards, piano, guitar
- Juston Stens - drums, percussion, vocals
- Toby and Scott wrote the lyrics.
- Dr. Dog composed the music.
Additional musicians consist of the following:
- Danny Scofield - saxophones
- Janka Perniss - violin
- Tommy Bindle - percussion
- Steve Duffy - trombone
- Kimbal Brown - trumpet
- John Pettit - trumpet
- Heather Fortune - flute
- Laura Foxx - clarinet
- Victoria Baltimore - cello
- Megan Smith - oboe
- Eliza Jones - vocals
Additional production by:
- Brendan Cooney - string and horn arrangements
- Greg Calbi – mastering
- Ken Ellis – paintings
- Bill Moriarty – mixing
- T. William Moriarty – production coordination
- Kyle Pulley – production assistant, mixing assistant
References
- The Fader Dr. Dog Review, thefader.com, gives a description of Dr. Dogs performance, retrieved 30 May 2008.
- Funny People Trailer on YouTube, TV Spot featuring Dr. Dog's "My Friend".
- Bonnie and Clyde Photo, Photo of Bonnie and Clyde that inspired the cover of Fate.
- Dr. Dog backstage interview at Lollapalooza 2008 on YouTube
- "Dr. Dog - Fate - Album Review". AbsolutePunk.net. 2008-07-22. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
- Sean Westergaard (2008-07-22). "Fate - Dr. Dog | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards". AllMusic. Retrieved 2015-06-10.
- Archived August 3, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
- Leah Greenblatt (2008-07-18). "Fate Review". EW.com. Retrieved 2012-09-12.
- Archived March 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
- Archived October 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
