Dodos

Folk duo the Dodos have always eschewed the Svengali approach to their partnership. Unlike the White Stripes, known for Jack White’s domination and Meg White’s half-hearted drum banging, each member of this guitar-and-drums duo contributes equally to the group’s mellow indie-folk sound. And presumably, the fact that neither claims to be the other’s ex-spouse makes things less complicated.

The Dodos are singer and songwriter Meric Long and drummer Logan Kroeber. Unlike Meg White, Kroeber actually seems capable of keeping time and playing his instrument. He forms a significant and complicated part of the group’s sound, which favors the use of percussive elements as more than just backing.

“Visiter” contains soothing and sweet indie-pop folk, sometimes with a bluesy twist. Though the Dodos don’t present anything groundbreaking with this album, their interesting use of percussion sets them apart from the hordes of other groups like them. Unfortunately, though, even Kroeber’s unique drum licks fail to save the album from repetitiveness, and the songs soon begin to blend together.

The percussive elements—consisting of everything from insistent toms over a deeper backbeat to the rat-tat of wooden sticks topped off with tingly silver bells—share a nearly equal billing with the vocals and often outshine Long’s deft guitar pickings. Long’s melodies are usually quite pleasing, but his unremarkable singing voice fails to add enough warmth to the album, resulting in chilly, jangly songs that fail to satisfy.

Despite Kroeber’s inventiveness, the best songs of the album are more melody-driven and feature simpler rhythmic elements. In “Undeclared,” the understated percussion allows Long’s finger-picking to keep time and his melody to receive emphasis. The song’s simplicity only makes its chronicle of unspoken love that much more beautiful.

Though more in line with the rest of the album stylistically, second track “Red and Purple” proves nearly as enjoyable as “Undeclared,” but it is hindered by a chorus that never really takes the song above and beyond. After hearing Long sing “I know that I am yours and you will be Mine,” one waits for it to take off, but it never does. The song is partially recused, however, by jangly snares and cold bells reminiscent of The Boy Least Likely To’s “Be Gentle with Me.”

“Visiter” suffers from uniformity and overlong songs, and it certainly offers nothing too groundbreaking, but it can still provide a pleasant interlude to one’s day. More importantly, it offers an interesting take on a genre that is already so present in the American music scene.

—Reviewer Candace I. Munroe can be reached at cimunroe@fas.harvard.edu.