| Dosh - Wolves and Wishes |
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| Written by Steve McPherson | |
| Wednesday, June 25, 2008 at 11:51 AM | |
 DoshWolves and Wishes Anticon doshfamily.com myspace.com/doshanticon Martin Dosh's music seems to exist in a world apart. Elements of it seem distinctly experimental, with fuzzy drones and repetitive yet complexly interlocking rhythms apparently pointing to a mind fascinated with making rules and seeing where they take you. But the results of those experiments are also selected for viability, and not simply noted and presented verbatim. Thus it seems that Dosh's music is more exploratory than experimental—a kind of travelogue he's brought back from his journeys. This sense, not only of exploration but of guiding as well, is perhaps what gives his entire body of work its distinctive quality. With each release, most bands seem to either be saying, "No, no: This is who we really are," or "Yes, but: Our previous records were just waypoints on the way to this record." That's not how Dosh operates. Despite being largely the product of one man's prodigious musical talents, Dosh's music is almost completely ego-free. His latest, Wolves and Wishes, is no exception. The steady parade of guests, from Andrew Bird to Odd Nosdam to Bonnie "Prince" Billy, haven't been drafted to boost the record's profile—it's more like they just came over to play. Their contributions merge seamlessly into Dosh's Lego-like compositions, which show a bit of drift towards the drone as the center of gravity, as opposed to the dizzying sequencer runs that defined 2006's The Lost Take. And when those percolating synth sounds re-appear on "Wolves," it's like an old friend stopping by. The exploration, the collaborations, the purposeful blend of talent with playfulness and a sure hand—all of it combines to make Dosh's music one of the most joyful conglomeration of noises you've ever heard, and this is an exceedingly rare attribute these days. Modern popular music usually seems to be either distinctly serious in tone or wantonly hedonistic, but Dosh—more like John Coltrane than anyone else I can think of—seems to be singing the body electric with everything he does. I suppose I could go into the individual tracks on Wolves and Wishes, but there's a reason his show at the Walker Art Center in early May was called "The World of Dosh." Live, Martin Dosh makes his own little universe out of his motley assortment of keyboards, drums, and various electronic implements, and watching him layer this all together bit by bit at a live show is fascinating from a technical perspective. But the best thing about his records is that they obscure the process, leaving the listener free to appreciate Dosh's way with an elliptical melody, a chunked out drum loop, or a manic sequencer run. So please: Just sit back, relax, and listen to some pure musical expression. COMING UP: Dosh with P.O.S. and Kill the Vultures. Friday, June 27. First Avenue. 8 pm. 18+. $10/$12. Martin Dosh and Mike Lewis performing "Capture the Flag": |
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