The Dodos: Album & Tour

The Dodos Announce U.S. Fall Tour To Coincide With Third LP

The Dodos

With a title like Time To Die, you might think San Francisco’s Dodos‘ third disc is their “mature album,” a deadly serious undertaking punctuated with string sections and synths – but it’s not. While indie rock’s go-to guy, Phil Ek (Built to Spill, Fleet Foxes, The Shins), hopped behind the boards this time, the Dodos’ wildly-percussive style is still centered around two key elements: the punchy percussion of Logan Kroeber and the Fahey-infused finger-picking of frontman Meric Long. Oh sure, you’ll hear a horn blast here and there, but it’s never enough to distract you from the group’s riffs and rolls.

“We were able to keep things simple on this record,” says Long, “When your band gets a little popular, there’s this tendency to say things like, ‘Let’s add an orchestra on this one!’ That works for some people, but it would detract from this band.”

As right as Long may be, Time To Die introduces one major addition to the Dodos’ creative core: Keaton Snyder, a 21-year-old music school dropout who plays a mean vibraphone. As Long puts it, “He’s a better musician than Logan and I combined. I don’t even know what’s going on with his music theory ideas half the time.”

You’d never know Snyder was the Dodos’ third man without looking at the new album’s liner notes. Not because he’s missing in action half the time; he’s just locked in step with Long’s steady-handed strumming and Kroeber’s cannon-like beats. That, and Snyder’s actual sound/physical presence isn’t all that different than the visceral elements explored on the Dodos’ previous two albums, 2006’s Beware of the Maniacs and the band’s buzz-stirring breakthrough, 2008’s Visiter.

Dodos Tour Dates
07/09/09 Thu Phoenix Concert Theatre Toronto, ON
07/10/09 Fri Cisco Ottawa Bluesfest Ottawa, ON
07/11/09 Sat Festival International de Jazz de Montreal Montreal, QC
07/17/09 Fri Melt Festival Graefenhainichen, GER
07/18/09 Sat Dour Festival Dour, BEL
07/25/09 Sat Subterranean Chicago, IL
08/08/09 Sat J Paul Getty Museum Los Angeles, CA
08/28/09 Fri Outside Lands Festival San Francisco, CA
09/02/09 Wed Thekla Bristol, GB
09/03/09 Thu Bush Hall London, GB
09/04/09 Fri King Tuts Glasgow, GB
09/05/09 Sat Ruby Lounge Manchester, GB
09/10/09 Thu Molotow Hamburg, GER
09/26/09 Sat Henry Miller Memorial Library Big Sur, CA
09/27/09 Sun El Rey Theater Los Angeles, CA
09/28/09 Mon Casbah San Diego, CA
09/29/09 Tue Club Congress Tucson, AZ
09/30/09 Wed Modified Phoenix, AZ
10/02/09 Fri Pontiac Garage @ House of Blues Dallas, TX
10/03/09 Sat Orange Show Houston, TX
10/04/09 Sun Zilker Park Austin, TX
10/06/09 Tue Club Downunder Tallahassee, FL
10/07/09 Wed The Earl Atlanta, GA
10/08/09 Thu Grey Eagle Asheville, NC
10/10/09 Sat Talking Head Club Baltimore, MD
10/12/09 Mon First Unitarian Church Philadelphia, PA
10/13/09 Tue Music Hall Of Williamsburg Brooklyn, NY
10/14/09 Wed Bowery Ballroom New York, NY
10/15/09 Thu Middle East Downstairs Cambridge, MA
10/16/09 Fri La Sala Rossa Montreal, QC
10/17/09 Sat Lee’s Palace Toronto, ON
10/19/09 Mon The Bottom Lounge Chicago, IL
10/20/09 Tue Turf Club St. Paul, MN
10/22/09 Thu Bluebird Theater Denver, CO
10/24/09 Sat Neurolux Boise, ID
10/25/09 Sun Aladdin Theater Portland, OR
10/26/09 Mon Biltmore Cabaret Vancouver, BC