MOONDOGGIES
''ADIÓS I'M A GHOST''
AUGUST 13 2013
43:35
1. I'm a Ghost /0:23
2. Red Eye /2:08
3. Annie Turn Out the Lights /3:36
4. Midnight Owl /5:47
5. Pride /2:33
6. A Lot to Give /5:59
7. Stop Signs /4:34
8. Start Me Over /2:55
9. One More Chance /4:18
10. Back to the Beginning /4:29
11. Don't Ask Why /6:25
12. Adios I'm a Ghost /0:28
Earl Dahlen /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Kevin Murphy /Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Jon Pantrollo /Guitar, Percussion
Caleb Quick /Keyboards, Vocals
Robert Terreberry /Bass, Mandolin
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Seattle-based band the Moondoggies have been called an Americana band drawing on influences ranging from the Band to the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but on this, the group's third album, there isn't a whole lot of folk Americana or rootsy country going on, and they sound more like a cross between mid-period R.E.M. and Fleet Foxes, filling the melodies and songs out with three-part harmonies, obviously the group's strong suit. The album opens and closes with short, 28-second wordless vocal harmonies ("I'm a Ghost" opens things here and "Adiós I'm a Ghost" closes things out) that really do show the parallels between this band and Fleet Foxes, while in between is a set of songs with sturdy melodies that seem to hang together but still present a fair amount of variety. Highlights include the jaunty, bouncing "Midnight Owls," "Start Me Over," and the organ-led "Don't Ask Why," but there's an overall coherent arc to this record that makes songs that are maybe lesser entities seem stronger and part of a whole. Recorded with producer Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios, Adiós I'm a Ghost falls somewhere between the band's critically lauded sophomore release Tidelands, which was full of thoughtful atmospherics, and the looser, rowdier debut album Don't Be a Stranger.
BIOGRAPHY
by Andrew Leahey
Rooted in folk-rock and woodsy Americana, the Moondoggies take influences from such vocally inclined groups as the Byrds, the Band, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Although hailing from Seattle, seeds for the band's formation were planted in nearby Everett, Washington, where Kevin Murphy (vocals, guitar), Robert Terreberry (bass), Carl Dahlen (drums), and Caleb Quick (keyboards) formed a teenaged band while attending Cascade High School. The students discovered their talent for three-part vocal harmonies, and when Murphy returned from a summer-long stay in Alaska in 2005, the four friends reconvened in Seattle to form the Moondoggies. Taking up residence at a local dive bar named the Blue Moon Tavern, the Moondoggies honed their craft and soon netted a contract with Hardly Art, an imprint of Seattle's own Sub Pop Records. Don't Be a Stranger, the band's woozy debut, appeared in 2008, with the mature Tidelands following in October 2010. Third album Adios I'm a Ghost, released in 2013 and aided by the addition of multi-instrumentalist Jon Pontrello to the band, fell somewhere between the two in sound and tone.
''ADIÓS I'M A GHOST''
AUGUST 13 2013
43:35
1. I'm a Ghost /0:23
2. Red Eye /2:08
3. Annie Turn Out the Lights /3:36
4. Midnight Owl /5:47
5. Pride /2:33
6. A Lot to Give /5:59
7. Stop Signs /4:34
8. Start Me Over /2:55
9. One More Chance /4:18
10. Back to the Beginning /4:29
11. Don't Ask Why /6:25
12. Adios I'm a Ghost /0:28
Earl Dahlen /Drums, Percussion, Vocals
Kevin Murphy /Guitar, Percussion, Vocals
Jon Pantrollo /Guitar, Percussion
Caleb Quick /Keyboards, Vocals
Robert Terreberry /Bass, Mandolin
REVIEW
by Steve Leggett
Seattle-based band the Moondoggies have been called an Americana band drawing on influences ranging from the Band to the Byrds and the Flying Burrito Brothers, but on this, the group's third album, there isn't a whole lot of folk Americana or rootsy country going on, and they sound more like a cross between mid-period R.E.M. and Fleet Foxes, filling the melodies and songs out with three-part harmonies, obviously the group's strong suit. The album opens and closes with short, 28-second wordless vocal harmonies ("I'm a Ghost" opens things here and "Adiós I'm a Ghost" closes things out) that really do show the parallels between this band and Fleet Foxes, while in between is a set of songs with sturdy melodies that seem to hang together but still present a fair amount of variety. Highlights include the jaunty, bouncing "Midnight Owls," "Start Me Over," and the organ-led "Don't Ask Why," but there's an overall coherent arc to this record that makes songs that are maybe lesser entities seem stronger and part of a whole. Recorded with producer Ryan Hadlock at Bear Creek Studios, Adiós I'm a Ghost falls somewhere between the band's critically lauded sophomore release Tidelands, which was full of thoughtful atmospherics, and the looser, rowdier debut album Don't Be a Stranger.
BIOGRAPHY
by Andrew Leahey
Rooted in folk-rock and woodsy Americana, the Moondoggies take influences from such vocally inclined groups as the Byrds, the Band, and the Flying Burrito Brothers. Although hailing from Seattle, seeds for the band's formation were planted in nearby Everett, Washington, where Kevin Murphy (vocals, guitar), Robert Terreberry (bass), Carl Dahlen (drums), and Caleb Quick (keyboards) formed a teenaged band while attending Cascade High School. The students discovered their talent for three-part vocal harmonies, and when Murphy returned from a summer-long stay in Alaska in 2005, the four friends reconvened in Seattle to form the Moondoggies. Taking up residence at a local dive bar named the Blue Moon Tavern, the Moondoggies honed their craft and soon netted a contract with Hardly Art, an imprint of Seattle's own Sub Pop Records. Don't Be a Stranger, the band's woozy debut, appeared in 2008, with the mature Tidelands following in October 2010. Third album Adios I'm a Ghost, released in 2013 and aided by the addition of multi-instrumentalist Jon Pontrello to the band, fell somewhere between the two in sound and tone.
