Album Review

El Dog – A PRINCESS, A MONKEY, THE STARS AND THE SEA / -00-

• 10th Jun 2009

Growing out of a Nice N’ Sleazy open mic night in Glasgow, El Dog are more bluesy and searching than you would expect from such rugged beginnings. Yearning soul blues/mild rock stretches out on a mattress of slow building percussion leaps, helping instil a small amount of urgency when needed.

Vocalist Bob (Robert Paul) hops from pedestrian to falling into insanity with dignity, allowing ‘A MONKEY, THE STARS AND THE SEA’ to be a cathartic exercise suitable for those like to let off steam but not to truly blow their top.

The band’s ability to chop and change the tempo sneaks out in ‘-00-‘, as Bob’s vocals stay composed, but feeling felt allowing the expressive instrumentals to instil the mood changes, as the urgency steadily increases.

For a band that cites films and computer games as their inspiration as much as the usual suspects of albums. They have probably achieved their aim in giving more than the usual attention to atmosphere. Concentration is needed in order to walk with El Dog.