Released 6th July on Lo-Five Records 

If nothing else, El Dog have the best ‘how I met the band’ story. Bob (vocals/guitar) struck up a friendship with the rest of the band after being spotted breakdancing in Glasgow’s Nice n Sleazy open mic night. There’s nothing unusual about that, I hear you say. Well, he was naked. Except for a shoe. Kindred spirits rarely meet in such a manner. No, I don’t know which foot the shoe was on. Or even if it was on a foot.

 Not only is their story interesting, their music is too. Any band who makes emotional post-rock that is cinematic in scope seems to instantly get compared to the likes of Radiohead. It’s an unfair comparison to make, but here it’s not unjust. El Dog are more guns blazing rock at their peak, but the quieter moments are as tranquil as staring at clouds in the sky. Bob’s vocals are perfectly suited to both forms, and the music is indeed film-like in its goals, and more often that not, it scores. And any band that cites Monsters Final Hour on the Amstrad CPC464 as an influence gets my approval.

 
So to their album, The Lamps Of Terrahead. It’s certainly ambitious, but it has every right to be. Opener 'If That Was The Last That We Met' switches all too easily from its bombastic opening to its gentle verse and back again. It’s an age old trick that so many bands seem to use, but few can do it this well. It’s a quite spectacular opener. Second song 'A Princess, A Monkey, The Stars & The Sea' (the titles are as interesting as the songs themselves) is rollicking at its peak, a perfect showcase of their talents. 'Bah Rock' is only instrumental, but has a certain beauty to it that needs no words. Then the powerful 'Rhythm Tooth' begins, and it’s back to the strong guitar basics, which they seem to excel at. Rhythm Tooth’s quiet part is nothing short of breathtaking. So far, it’s the best song on the album. It’s followed by a moodier effort in -00- which is still equally thrilling. You get the feeling they could throw in a Eurotrash trance number and still make it sound amazing.

 'Ha Ha! Nae Joy!' sounds like it should belong on The Hours first album Narcissus Road, so hauntingly hushed are its pianos and vocals. It’s a genuine shame that it’s so short, you feel like you could listen to it forever. 'Fire In Your Eyes' is similarly emotive, such lyrics as “You can’t die from a broken heart/But you can’t live without her” may seem clichéd, but not when they are delivered like this. 'I’m In A Car' has a simmering, subtle feel to it, which makes it seem less imposing than the rest of the songs, but it’s still a good song. 'Glass Of Water' is Exhibit A for the filmic power of their songs, as it grows into something remarkable.

To think that this is their debut album is terrifying, as they seem to have mastered their art already. 'Monsters Final Hour' is, pardon the pun, a monster of a song, the guitars like bared fangs in the face of the vocal snowstorm. 'Rebecca’s Spine' is a heartwrencher, anyone not moved by this may as well stick themselves on a podium in Trafalgar Square. And finally, 'Sham Rock', a fitting conclusion that sums up everything they have accomplished thus far, and it’s quite some accomplishment. It also seems like they have done all of this with relative ease, and it makes you wonder what they could potentially do three or four albums down the line, if given the chance. A chance that someone must surely give them, for they really are the dog’s bollocks.

Posted In Album Reviews, Jun 30 2009. Words - Paul