Format Dog Problems

There are a number of bands recording in today's fractious and varied music scene that choose to exercise their talents on a well established template of 60s/70s bubblegum pop, breaking little or no new ground, buoyed in confidence by the infinite possibilities afforded by chaos theory. Current avatars of this ideal include the Shins, who have proven that, yes, it is possible to revitalize a stale form with inspired material and flawless execution. They help put a lie to the notion that in order for new music to be good it needs to represent some form of progress. Sgt. Pepper, the unintended beacon of so much good and evil in modern music, seems to be the point at which pop music snobs, themselves falling stillborn from its loins, started cementing this limiting ethos. Sure, this line of thinking can be useful to keep the music going in new directions, as it needs to, but it's hardly a basis of disqualification. Most scholars of classical music will concede that while Mozart was one of the greatest composers who ever lived, said greatness derived from his ability to delight and surprise in forms and even styles mainly worked out by Haydn. The problem with this approach is that it's a lot harder to pull off than it looks. You can't count on shocking people out of their seats with a new sound or a radical melding of genres. Your surprises need to be subtle and can't be arrived at intellectually. Simply put, you either got it or you don't.

The Format aren't Mozart, and they aren't even the Shins, but on their new album they do a pretty good job putting their own spin on the melodic-here comes the hook-there goes the riff-check out this harmony pop song. As such, Dog Problems will sound instantly familiar to almost anyone likely to buy it, reassuringly and perhaps annoyingly so. I, for one, find myself perusing albums like this online on a regular basis and moving on rapidly out of sheer boredom. I love the style, but I've heard way too much of it, and am not easily taken in by half hearted attempts at expanding upon it. So let me say right here, from the standpoint of necessity Dog Problems is a mixed bag. Only about half the material takes real steps toward alleviating the misery and suffering that is the eternal human condition. Having thought about the previous sentence only after writing it I have to admit that it would seem to make Dog Problems a required purchase, and maybe it is. But for music critics, and for some strange reason I'm just beginning to contemplate, this is rarely enough.

The Format are weakest when they are at their most jaunty, which (see above formulation) is about half of the time. Tunes like Matches and Dog Problems start to make the jauntiness wear thin when it's finally put to decent use on Dead End, watering down the song's impact. Fortunately, The Compromise, while still technically jaunty is an excellent pop song, with a refrain stolen from the lap of the gods. The real gold here is in the up-tempo, go for broke songs like Time Bomb, and Pick Me Up, the latter featuring harmonies that would give me chills if it wasn't so goddamned hot in here. She Doesn't Get It features singer Nate Reuss posing the musical question, "can my voice go any higher"? Apparently and amazingly the answer is always yes. More than anything these songs show a talent for arranging choruses that makes them unforgettable. Listen to the careening backing vocals, the kickstarting synths or the freshly syncopated guitars and you'll hear pop expertise in full bloom.

The whole thing never really dips below the level of "pretty decent" which is enough to recommend it, but it's a sad fact that familiarity breeds contempt and a lot of this stuff is just too familiar to rate it as high as some might. Get it for the highlights.