After four albums and a moderate, but not life-changing, level of success, Philadelphia indie-pop crew Dr. Dog changed course on 2010′s Shame, Shame. They sought outside production help from Rob Schnapf (Beck, Elliott Smith) and constructed noticeably toned-down and tauter melodic nuggets. Critical praise followed; a popularity increase did not. So for their sixth and most impressive turn to-date, the Brotherly Love oddballs – now recording on their own and with two new bandmembers, drummer Eric Slick and multi-instrumentalist Dimitri Manos – blast back to their bread-and-butter: raw riffs, sing-song harmonies and sonic experimentation filtered through 1960s-pop-tinted shades. Be the Void is bookended by two gems: Opener “Lonesome” swings with a pedal-steel guitar anchored bluesy strut and “Turning the Century” glides under the freaky sway of a twangy sitar. But “That Old Black Hole,” a quirky guitar riot of a single – and easily the album’s most rollicking cut – is a master class in parting with the put-on and getting back to basics. Lyrical inventiveness was never the Dog’s strength. So while singer/guitarist Scott McMicken waxes poetic on the inability to let go (“These Days”) and life’s temporary fulfillments (“Do the Trick”), this crew proves most… read more »