The unique album ‘Shame, Shame’ by Dr. Dog was released in 2010. (Greta Foss)
The unique album ‘Shame, Shame’ by Dr. Dog was released in 2010.

Greta Foss

Album review: ‘Shame, Shame’ by Dr. Dog

March 24, 2023

I have recently realized that the best way to discover new music is to go back to what you know.

Most people who have a TikTok account are familiar with the song, “Where’d All the Time” Go by Dr. Dog, but few people that I know have listened to more of the album.

I will be giving my review of Shame, Shame by Dr. Dog. This is the band’s fifth studio album, released back in 2010, and garnered the band its most listens out of any of their previous and future releases. 

For this review, I will take into consideration, lyrics, use of instrumentation, and position within the album. I also believe that this is an album that needs to be listened to in a very specific order so I will not be ranking the songs, but instead scoring them out of 10. 

Stranger

This song is very basic, and sets a pretty solid tone for the rest of the album. This song has a pretty funky guitar groove and I really enjoy the chorus and the way that the singer is able to take ownership over it. The lyrics have a sad and almost hopeless feel to them. They tell the story of someone who feels lost within themselves which I think is an interesting view to take for the intro of an album but I certainly do not hate it. I give this song a 6/10

Shadow People

You can tell the automatic shift in emotion between songs. I like the metaphor in this one a lot, there is a shift in style midway through the song that I don’t know if I am crazy about, though throughout time and the more I listened to it, I really learned to love. The lyrics and the backing vocals within this song really make this song so amazing. The guitar adds a really nice drone at around the 3 minute mark that really wraps the song up with a nice bow on top. While there is a major shift in theme between the instruments within this song, the lyrics continue the feeling found within the first song of being stuck in space and feeling lost within ones self. 8/10

Station

The lyrics within this song are definitely very obvious with how they tell the story, and there is no second guessing what the singer is talking about. He feels alone, stranded, and helpless. It almost feels a bit like a western and has a bit of a country twang, which I think really helps to aid the story of the song. I give this song an 8/10

 

Unbearable Why

I like the drum a lot, it has a really nice groove that makes you want to dance even though this is not a dance son. The singing is once again unique and sounds absolutely great within the tone of the song. It was around this song that I started to understand the underlying theme of the album thus far which is a mixture of guilt and loss, whether that be loss of self or loss of someone else. I gave this song a 9/10

 

Where’d All the Time Go

This is the seminal song on the album, if you have TikTok, you know this song. And rightfully so, this is a great song. The lyrics are personal but all encompassing and describe emotions that most people could attest too. The guitar on this song has become quite iconic, and is a riff that I could identify anywhere. If you don’t know this song at all, I would 100% recommend checking this album out, if not to hear a lot of really good music, but to hear this one really great song. I gave this song a 10/10

 

Later

The intro is really fun and this really highlights the singer’s abilities. I really love the piano on this song, and I absolutely love the lyrics. This is an angry heartbroken song if I’ve ever heard one.  It doesn’t matter who the artist is singing to within this one, whether it is an old lover, a parent, or a friend, this song shows the bitterness and spite that can be left over within a heartbreak, once the sadness has left you. I gave this song 9/10

 

I Only Wear Blue

I love the juxtaposition between this song and the one before it. I choose to believe that the singer is singing to the same person as they were within the song “Later,” and this is them after they have wasted all of their energy being mad and are left with nothing more to give to the other person. This is the song of a person who has grown tired and is done fighting, but has not forgiven what has been done. I really love the harmonies within this song, and I love that the words have such a different feel to them than the instruments because it makes it even more impactful. I give this song a 9/10

 

Someday

I really really like the drum beat, and I like the inflection within his voice. The lyrics and the back up singing are so desperate sounding that I am able to hear exactly what it wants me to hear. The synth gives this song a feel that none of the other songs have. I gave this song a 8/10

 

Mirror, Mirror

This is a toe tapper, and I really like the voice effect that they used because it really aids the imagery within this song. I enjoy the lyrics within this song, and I absolutely adore the way that this song builds up. It makes the ending feel kind of addicting. I gave this song a 9/10

 

Jackie Wants a Black Eye

I love the vibe of this song so much, it has an almost community vibe with how the voices blend together and it seems like everyone is going through the emotions of the song together. I like how the vibe of this song would normally call for a guitar but instead they chose to use a piano and I think that it helps to give the song a more unique vibe. I really love the way that this song momentarily shifts the focus off of the pain of the singer and instead on to the pain of the people around him. This gives this song an almost refreshing feel, even though the story within is just as aching as the ones that come before it. 10/10

 

Shame, Shame

I enjoy the groove, the mixture of the guitar and the vocals is really relaxing and feels like waves crashing over you, it feels both painful and comforting. The lyrics of this song feel less like a song and more like a poem, which for me personally is great because I love when this is the case. The way that the singer flips his view of whoever he is singing makes this song feel like much more than just a soppy love song. The flip halfway through feels almost Bowie-esque, which coming from me, is the absolute highest of compliments. 10/10

 

It

This song has a melancholy feel and the guitar, while simplistic adds a sense of longing. This song definitely continues the theme of poetic lyrics, and I am loving it. It is a bit more boring than many of the other songs but I think that if I were in the correct mood, I would really love this song. I give this a 8/10

 

What a Strange Day

This has a very similar feel to “It” and due to the fact that they are back to back it makes it feel like they are meant to blend together.  Where “It” is more melancholy, this song feels more sad and heartbroken. I give this song a 7/10

 

Oh Man

You can tell that this song is trying to ease itself back into the feel found throughout the beginning of the album and it works, I really enjoy this song and I love the tonal shift half way through. While this song does stick to a similar lost vibe that was found at the beginning of the album, this song definitely feels a bit lighter. It feels a bit like the song is drunk, and by that I mean it is bouncy and a bit aimless but with a sense of melancholy. I give this song a 8/10

 

Take Me into Town

I really enjoy the lyrics in this song. They are clever and really highlight the writer’s ability to express what they are trying to say. The downfall of this song in my opinion would have to be the instrumentation, which had a very hard time holding my attention. The lyrics are anything but boring, but I find absolutely nothing gripping about the actual music of it. Maybe if there was more of a shift, or maybe I just don’t like the guitar, but something about the instruments make this lyrically great song, forgettable. 6/10 for instruments but 9/10 for lyrics

 

Black-Red

I really enjoy the instruments and it feels like good walking down the street song, the vocals on this one really add to the overall tone of the song. If you are a fan of the Gorillaz, you will probably really like this song because they have a similar feel. It is pretty different from the rest of the albums, but I really like how it sounds and I think that it was a good risk to take. I give this song a 9/10

 

Nobody Knows Who You Are

This would be a good song to end the album. The fade in makes it feel a bit like you’re in a movie and the end credits are rolling. How I view the lyrics of this song is what it would feel like to be drowning in a dream. You know that you are losing control of your situation and you know that you have to fight back, but everything feels so light and airy that you allow yourself to float for a bit in the midst of it all. I give this song a 9/10

 

The Sound

I lied before.  This is the best song to end the album as it carries through that same story of feeling lost and a bit hopeless but ends on a slightly maybe positive note. It also carries with it many of the same sounds that are present throughout the entire album and makes it feel like the true culmination of the album. I really like the vocals and the melody on this one. I enjoy where this song takes you at about the 1:20 mark. I absolutely love the choruses of this song but feel as though the verses are lacking a bit of something. I give this song a 8/10

 

Conclusion

This album is really good at guiding your emotions along with where it wants you to feel. This is a great story album, and I would recommend, especially if it is your first listen-through, that you do not listen to this on shuffle for fear that it will lose some of its impact. This is an extremely consistent album, with only a few low points throughout. Overall, I would give this album a 9.2/10 due to the fact that it has so many great songs, but it did lose some points from me due to the length of it. I have nothing against a longer album, but I feel with the style of album that they are trying to get across, it lost some of its overall effect. 

About the Contributor
Photo of Greta Foss
Greta Foss, Journalist & Editor-in-chief

Grade: Senior

Hobbies: Making music, fashion design, shopping, working, and taking my dog on hot girl walks

My Cars Name: Ziggy Stardust

Favorite...

The LeSabre • Copyright 2024 • FLEX WordPress Theme by SNOLog in