Good Record. Bad Name.

As my DJ John Richards (90.3 KEXP) said this morning after playing the song "Lounger" from Dogs Die in Hot Cars' debut album "Please Describe Yourself," this band is proof that every name for a band has been taken. Honestly, the name of this band is *almost*, but not *quite*, as bad as my all-time favorite terrible band name, the Awesomeologists. I've never heard the Awesomeologists, so I don't know if they can surpass the horror of that name. I have, however, heard Dogs Die in Hot Cars, and I know that they can.

Straight outta Scotland, Dogs Die in Hot Cars recorded this debut in what's affectionately known as 1066 Country, south of London. It's called 1066 Country because it's in and around the area where the Battle of Hastings was fought in 1066, where the last Anglo-Saxon king was killed and the Norman William the Conquerer grabbed the reigns of the British Empire. Know who else is from 1066 Country? Yea that's right, Keane. Do Dogs Die in Hot Cars (it actually pains me to write that name... calling them DDIHC from now on) sound anything like Keane? Why no. No they don't.

How to describe DDIHC? The voice of Craig Macintosh reminds me a bit of the guy from stellastarr*, only not as kitchy, and even a bit like that of Colin Hay, circa Men At Work. The sound? They blend ska, 80s pop, and even a little good ol' fashioned American grunge to create something that's actually truly unique. I'm getting a kind of English Beat/Sparks/Oingo Boingo feeling from the whole thing. They're being compared to XTC as well, which I can definitely hear, but they're much more ska than XTC. There is an Andy Partridge-osity about Macintosh's voice though, no doubt about it.

But the hooks. Aaaaaaaaahhh the hooks. DDIHC is all about those catchy, can't-get-em-outta-your-head hooks. "I Love You Cause I Have To" is one of the most infectious songs I've heard in ages. "Lounger" blends truly memorable lyrics (about that first blush of freedom when you leave school, move out of your parents' house and out into the real world... what a great subject to turn into song) with a driving, tribal drumbeat and poppy, catchy guitars that really makes it impossible to get out of one's head. If one were so inclined to get it out of one's head which I, for one, am not.

There are a few standouts on this debut, like the aforementioned two. Plus "Paul Newman's Eyes," and "Celebrity Sanctum" are just as compelling, both lyrically and sonically. The album as a whole blends well together, as they are able to hold their sound intact through each song without it becoming tired (like the Strokes were notably unable to do). It's good, light listening, and it's quite a happy little record. I wouldn't say it's one of the best I've heard, as I think these guys have a bit more work to do before they blow me away. For a first record though, it's an excellent shot out, and they take this whole 80s craze to interesting new heights.