SRR-04 is the second Blank Dogs 7". 3 songs of mysterious bedroom synth-punk.
Songs:
A: The Doorbell Fire
B: Outside Alarmer + It Was
Release Date: July 2007
Pressing Info:1st press: 100 on white (sold out)
400 on black (sold out)
2nd press: 200 on black (sold out)
3rd press: 250 on black - reversed sleeves (sold out)
Reviews:
From Terminal Boredom (Rich Kroneiss):
One of the most exciting things when listening to Blank Dogs records has been trying to dissect the alchemy of his recording process. How did he make that guitar/synth sound like that? And was it on purpose or something he just stumbled on to? The mysteries behind these questions (and of course the increasingly annoying debate of the identity of the suspects involved...I mean, it really doesn't matter folks. Can't you just enjoy something?) make for intense listening experiences...a Blank Dogs record is something I really just can't have playing in the background while I do other things. They demand attention, or perhaps just have a certain magic that sucks you into their world. They manage to be quite personal sounding and keep you at an arms distance as well. "Outside Alarmer" has already been picked as one of Mr.BD's choicest cuts by many and I can't argue with facts. Its synth flares lend a nearly pretty quality to a tune that would at first seem almost creepy. "It Was" treks thorugh the desert on a winding minimal-synth path. "Doorbell Fire" reminds me of The Cure for no apparent reason. Somewhat fragile and surprisingly quite stirring and evocative music from a "band" that I hope just isn't toying with my emotions. There's a distinct odor of Eighties nostalgia surrounding this record in my mind as well, so much so that I envisioned them as the soundtrack for some outre John Hughes teen-flick on a particularly late and chemically enhanced evening. My personal fave of the Blank Dogs records so far.
From Dusted (Doug Mosurak):
Sheets of budget, outmoded electronics and 4-track scuzz blanket what amounts to really strong, heartfelt Anglocentric power pop songwriting styles, like early Cabaret Voltaire covering the Beat or something. The songs here are the best of any of the Blank Dogs records yet released, in particular "The Doorbell Fire" and "Outside Alarmer."
From Maximum Rock'n'Roll (Andy Larsen):
This is the third release by Blank Dogs, following both a 12" and a 7" and with three more releases already scheduled on separate labels. Busy, busy. With each new record the person/people behind the band create lo-fi twisted pop that is as mysterious as his/her/their identity. And honestly, who cares who or where the hell this band is from at this point? The three dirty synth-punk tracks on this EP are so catchy, it's going to be impossible to keep from humming them on the commute repeatedly for the next couple months. Blank Dogs is making some fuzzy, distorted, dark electronic pop songs that sound like the perfect soundtrack to a dreamy yet somewhat evil KBD tinged '80s goth prom flick.
From Z-Gun (Scott Soriano):
My first take on the Blank Dogs was enthusiasm. Repeated listening of the debut 12" left me dulled and feeling a bit conned. I felt so taken by the debut that I shined on the HoZac label single. When The Doorbell Fire came around I figured I'd can the grump and check it out. Glad I did. Blank Dogs chum three solid pop songs which steal liberally from late 70s UK post-punk pop, a mash of Mute, Factory, & Fast Records, blown out and slathered with a spread of cheap synth. Satisfying, and now wondering if this is jump point or Der Dogs will spin this for a time.
From Siltblog (Tom Lax):
A Vancouver label called Sweet Rot's got a couple of 7"ers out there as well. One's a 3 bagger from the seemingly prolific Blank Dogs & not only has he bullseyed the I Braineater style of loner, punk/effects rip, he's now got a matchin city address to boot.
From Discorder (Bryce Dunn):
Blank Dogs is a mysterious synth-post punk duo from points unknown who conjure the spirits of Sparks and the Spits in tracks like "Doorbell Fire" and "Outside Alarmer." Robotic without sounding monotonous, quirky without sounding campy, they've caught the ear of a few labels already, the most noteworthy being heavyweights In the Red Records, which plans to release an album's worth of Blank Dogs' material in the coming months. For the now and the curious, check this single out
From Now Wave (Josh Rutledge):
I'm generally not in the habit of rating/grading/attempting to quantify the worth of musical recordings. But if I were going to do the douchey Rolling Stone thing and award the new Blank Dogs record a numerical rating, I'd definitely give it five stars. I really gotta say I'm pretty blown away by this thing. Working in an electro/synth bizarro post-punk realm a la Gary Numan, Kraftwerk, Screamers, and The Urinals, Blank Dogs share certain sensibilities with contemporary downer wavers like Pink Reason & Black Sunday. Like the aforementioned acts, Blank Dogs imbue eerie electronic soundscapes with a snowy, chill-down-the-spine beauty. Listening to this record is like looking at a terribly disturbing painting you just can't take your eyes off of. Three songs appear here, and all are great. There's a ghoulish foreboding in the vocals that would play well with everyone from late '80s goth heads to new millennium Lost Sounds freaks, and the use of synthesizer here is bold, ingenious, and beautifully orchestrated. What sounds like laser gunfire, monster movie organ, '80s video game sound effects, alien ambulance alarms, and the whistling of nuclear wind coalesce into a strange, disquieting melange, every last note coming off perfectly. Blank Dogs have taken a familiar, verging-on-played-out style of music and infused it with a fiercely original voice. This is music that crawls under your skin and haunts you with its radiant portent. I'm not often comfortable referring to music as "art", but this is art. The very best kind, in fact.
If Blank Dogs were a bunch of hipster pin-up cuties, the beautiful "Outside Alarmer" would probably be the most downloaded indie rock hit of 2007. It's truly a remarkable song. But it's hard to say exactly what Blank Dogs are, since the group's identity/makeup/origin is somewhat of a mystery. Is it one guy? A bunch of guys? Robots? A space creature and his army of clones? Whoever or whatever he/they/it may be, Blank Dogs have given us some of the most promising underground music in years.
From Etrange Ressac (Max Dembo):
Impossible de faire l'impasse sur Blank Dogs. Projet solo d'un pas-si-mystérieux mais incroyablement prolifique new-yorkais. Blank Dogs enchaîne les sorties vinyliques à un rythme effréné. Après l'intriguant 12? 'First Two Weeks" sorti sur Freedom School, voilà deux nouveaux singles, l'un sur Hozac, l'autre sur Sweet Rot. Blank Dogs lève un peu plus le voile sur son grand huit imaginaire avec un son un légèrement moins "bedroom" que sur son premier disque. Imaginaire dans lequel on retrouve toujours, ne serait-ce qu'en papier peint cosmique, un goût certain pour des mélodies pop DIY à la Messthetics. Mélodies en sous-sol puisque la vitrine offre le plus souvent des séances d'hypnotisme minimalistes dans lesquelles des noms comme Brian Eno ou Bruce Haack semblent apparaître subrepticement. Ces chansons ont aussi en commun une certaine mélancolie, un spleen qui dérape, qu'on capte et qu'on mâchouille ensuite inlassablement. "Yellow Mice Sleep", "Doorbell Fire" ou "Outside Alarmer" sont autant de hits à tiroirs nés d'un brain qu'on imagine en pleine ébullition. Un nouveau 12? et un nouveau 7? sortent sous peu sur Sacred Bones et Florida's Dying. Restons dans la boucle.