Live Review: The Dodos at Independent

Quite a homecoming, indeed. Local boys The Dodos were welcomed with open arms for one of their first Bay Area shows since all of the media attention of the last few months for their second LP Visiter. Meric Long and Logan Kroeber lit up the Indpendent with their soulful psyche pop.

The sold out crowd was buzzing for the headliner and the guys played a loose set from their new album as well as some older tracks. The Dodos are a kin to a more accessible Animal Collective with vocal loops and dubs. Long is at his best when he’s harmonizing with himself through a loop, and ferociously pounding on his guitar. Kroeber is every bit his equal on the drums, together it feels like tribal country music. It’s too precise to be a “jam,” and the audacity of the pauses and space creates a lot of tension in the music which translated well live. It feels like you’re about to drop off a cliff when they stop, pulling you back just in time before the decent into oblivion as on “Joe’s Waltz.”

Long has tons of tricks. He uses different mics for vocal effects, and it’s easy to see how he started as a one man band. The bass in his voice reverberated nicely with the Independent’s wood ceiling.

The standouts were “Ashley,” which is bar none one of the best songs of the year, and is as close to perfect as possible. It sounded even more intimate live. “Red and Purple” created a nervous but fun twitch in the crowd, as did “Fools.” “Walking” showcased the band’s patience and Long’s songwriting.

Judging by fan reaction and how many people were out front looking for tickets, The Dodos could have played to a packed house at the Independent for a week straight. Come home more often, guys.

- Review submitted by Jeff Bracco.