The Sundogs
Instrument of Change
Self-Released
After a casual listen to the new album from Atlanta’s Sundogs , an uninformed listener might think the band has landed square into Black Crowes country. But dig deeper, past the writhing snake-oil scam’n’jam of the Crowes’ bogus boogie and find a rich, layered history of real rock and roll.
Sure, “Modern Day Miracle,” the opening track, does feature Faces-like swagger and the wheezy punctuation of Ike Stubblefield’s B-3 organ, echoing an Anglo-view of the British tinged early ‘70s blues-rock. But unlike the Robinsons, The Sundogs’ Haraway brothers don’t linger in their humble (Steve) Marriott suite too long past check out time. By the second track, Sunboys Lee and Will have tailored the throbbing baseline of Talking Heads’ “Psycho Killer” into the foundation of their southern rock opus title track with a boisterous bristle that recalls The Georgia Satellites’ best moments.
Along with the rough-hewn Haraway harmonies, guitarist Matt Ulmer also takes a few guttural lead vocals on the collection, neatly dividing the duties and pushing the general focus of the band’s identity into a pleasingly shifting triptych of characters. Ulmer’s three songs add a raw edge to the preceedings, punctuating the sweeter Haraway compositions with his achingly organic vocals and slide-guitar detours.
Toward the end, a rockin’ rewading of Gram Parsons’ “Las Vegas,” adapted by Will Haraway, is the only cover, fittingly delivered with the same general scarred-but-smarter skew of the album. To seal the deal, the ‘Dogs slam the collection home with “Bitter Tears,” taking yet another page from the Satellites’ beer-stained handbook of raucous bar-band rock, this time echoing the good-time vibe of Dan Baird’s Yahoos project.
It’s all been done before, but by donning the frayed costumes of a myriad of familiar influences, the Sundogs have successfully maneuvered their former, easy- going alt-country sound into a blistering, sun-drenched terrain of muscular, meat and potatoes rock.
-Lee Valentine Smith