Streamlining the Madness

Time to Die isn't the Dodos' sophomore album, but it may as well be. Few have ever heard the group's debut, Beware of the Maniacs, which was released in 2006 without a label or distribution. If you own it, chances are you're from the band's native San Francisco, or have made the point of picking it up at a show.

It wasn't until 2008's Visiter, released via boutique indie label Frenchkiss (home of the Hold Steady and Les Savy Fav), that the Dodos began to receive attention outside of their inner circle. And it wasn't hard to see why: the group's unhinged arrangements flew in the face of any preconceptions you might have had about the label "acoustic duo," with thrashing folk metal epics and thundering tribal percussion. This propelled the group to world tours, beer commercial placements, and a spot on plenty of critics' year end lists.

Which brings us to the follow-up, Time to Die. Superficially, the album appears to have all the usual trappings associated with sophomore albums. Like many before them, the Dodos have gone the way of the super-producer, hiring Phil Ek (the man responsible for Fleet Foxes and the Shins) to man the boards. And they've even experienced a touch of pre-release controversy. Like recent releases by Deerhunter and Grizzly Bear, the album leaked onto the Internet two full months early, prompting singer/guitarist Meric Long to post a sheepishly awkward webcam explanation on the band's website. Time to Die was then released as a free high quality stream, and a week later was available for download on Amazon for a measly $2.99 (a limited time deal -- it’s now $7.99 on iTunes).

What's really important, of course, is not the pre-release furor, but whether the Dodos' music is able to withstand the spotlight. To be sure, Time to Die is more mature (the most dreaded of all musical descriptors) than previous offerings. Ek's crystalline production has streamlined the group's scrappy sound, and the addition of a third member, vibraphonist Keaton Snyder, means that the group's once stark arrangements are now lush and textured.

But maybe maturity isn't such a bad thing after all. As well as making sonic improvements, the Dodos' melodies are now sharper than ever. This is especially evident on lead single "Fables", which is so catchy that it could be a nursery rhyme if not for the frenetic pounding of drummer Logan Kroeber. "The Strums" is similarly tuneful, and its soothing bed of delayed guitars and chiming vibraphones means that it's just waiting to be snapped up by Hollywood for use in a sentimental montage sequence.

Although the primitive intensity is calmed somewhat, the Dodos still know how to make a hell of a racket when they want to. "This Is a Business" shows off Long's guitar chops, as he blazes through furious arpeggios, his voice rising maniacally over Kroeber's four-on-the-floor beat. And closer "A Time to Die" builds from a gentle purr to a feverish, drawn-out climax, all held together by Long's chanted vocals.Even if the overall result is somewhat tamer than past efforts, moments such as these prove that the Dodos still have the same fire that set them above the pack in the first place.

The Dodos will bring their newly-refined mayhem to the Biltmore Cabaret in Vancouver on October 26.