Fresh Squeezed: Blank Dogs

A certain level of mystery can be beneficial. Honestly, what’s in a name? The bedroom musician that calls himself Blank Dogs appeared quietly a couple of years ago, but he built a strong following through a series of strange vinyl releases. However, no one seemed to know the exact origin of these releases, and some even speculated that he was Madagascar (it didn’t help that the Blank Dogs website stated as much). Yet, not surprisingly the stores that most often carried these albums were located in Brooklyn. The music of Blank Dogs has been called many things, but my favorite is “death pop”. This is a dark sound, but has a somewhat comforting undercurrent of pop music. Blank Dogs is wild, original, and yes… mysterious.

Complementing the fevered trail of records Blank Dogs have left on a variety of obscure labels-some small, some smaller, most destined for seminal status-the band has garnered attention from bigger indies as well. Troubleman Unlimited, known for working with bands that resist easy classification (Black Dice, Glass Candy) released a Blank Dogs LP in early '08 and last fall, Woodsist Records-home to Blank Dogs' cohorts Crystal Stilts, Vivian Girls, Woods, and Wavves-put out a mini-LP/CD called The Fields. A double LP, Under and Under, is forthcoming from indie giant In The Red. The most recent Blank Dogs record came out last month on Captured Tracks-a brand new label that rivals Blank Dogs’ creative output. (Captured Tracks was started in 2008 by some guy in Brooklyn. Few people know who he is, but his friends call him Blank Dogs.)

Blank Dogs
Under and Under
(In The Red)Street date: June 2, 2009

1. No Compass
2. L Machine
3. Night Night
4. Open Shut
5. Setting Fire To Your House
6. Around The Room
7. Blue Lights
8. The New Things
9. Falling Back
10. Tin Birds (mp3)
11. Slowing Down
12. Face Watching
13. Books
14. Nothing UGC
15. From Here