I Heart the Music: Your Online Source for Live Music Reviews and Interviews in Toronto!

Thursday, July 9th saw iheartthemusic at The Phoenix to catch San Francisco psychedelic-folk group The Dodos perform. This was a heavily-publicized show amongst the indie circuit, and not just because they happened to be opening for Beirut, but with an interview on Pitchfork under their belt, a new album set to be released in September and some awesome tunes pumping from their first two disks, the crowd were there early BECAUSE they were playing first.

What was interesting to note is that with the forthcoming album brings a new member to the always powerful twosome. This new member comes in the form of electric vibraphone player Keaton Snyder. Normally a duo, the addition of Keaton on this very unique instrument added not only to their overall sound on Thursday night but also to their vibe onstage. These boys came on and pretty much went right into it with no introduction or chatter to the audience for the first three songs. Finally when lead singer, Meric Long, opened his mouth, their modesty was made ever more apparent as he announced “we are honoured to be playing with our friends Beirut…going to be playing a bunch of new songs, hope that’s ok”. As if the audience even noticed as everyone was transfixed on the stage upon the first strum on their guitar or bang on their drums.

These guys play a nice mix of uptempo beats alongside softer sounds with transitions that flow seamlessly. That was probably the most notable thing for us; how well they were able to transition from one tempo to the next creating a sound that is all their own. The crowd were pleased, we were pleased and we cannot wait for this third album to drop (which we have found out will be called Time To Die).

If you missed them this time around- don’t worry! The Dodos will be back to promote the release of Time To Die on October 17th at Lee’s Palace. Be sure to grab your tickets as this is a show that you won’t want to miss!

photography provided by Sara Collaton