May 5-11, 2005
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If I told you that the West Philadelphia quintet Dr. Dog made delicate psychedelic pop with barbershop harmonies, you'd figure they were one side effect of my smiling Pet Sounds obsession and dismiss them. So I won't and you shouldn't. For at just over a half-hour in length, their new CD, Easy Beat, mirthfully and melodically takes you through a rough-hewn rainbow jam (yeah, that sort of jam!) of dense reverberation and noisy strings. From the angular pop of "Oh No" to the blissed-out balladry of "Dutchman Falls" with sturdy rockers ("Fool's Life") in between, Easy Beat pulls no punches in making a solidly blunt progressive (meaning: going forward, not sounding like ELP) rock album. Creamy lead singers Scott McMicken and Toby Leaman are but icing on an already tasty cake. Believe the hype.
Fri., May 6, 11 p.m., $10, with Buried Beds and National Eye, World Café Live, 3025 Walnut St., 215-222-1400.
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