Album Review: A Dog Called Ego - Paper Boat
Reviewed by Matthew Williams
You know that you are going to be in for a bit of a roller coaster ride when you read that a band has an eclectic list of influences ranging from Pink Floyd to King Crimson, Pearl Jam to Porcupine Tree. It’s only when you sit down and really listen to the songs several times, allowing it to wash over you, that you get the nuanced style of music that they are producing.
A Dog Called Ego are a quartet from Hamburg, led by Christoph Hartwig on guitars and vocals, who also mixed the album, with all members writing, performing and producing the songs together. It all starts with “Hollow Tree” which sounds as if it’s live, judging from the applause and cheers at the end of it. There’s a lovely chilled out ambience flowing throughout it which leads nicely into a more explosive sound on “Race to Ruin”.
You can hear the influences straight away, it’s a mish mash of sounds all battling for supremacy, and when Dirk Bakker kicks off “Private Inequity” with a simple drumbeat, followed by Chris Aidonopoulos adding a sumptuous bass line, it flows effortlessly into a whirlwind of tones and chords, all working in tandem around the vocal talent of Hartwig.
“You fucked up, big time” says a child voice before the guitars are set alight at the beginning of the album title track, “Paper Boat”. There’s heartfelt emotion reverberating around a darker, melodic edge, with angst seeping out of the lyrics, all wrapped up in a captivating rhythm that sways one way then another. That sweeping approach continues with “Fault Lines” amidst a more subtle approach to the music, with further atmospheric soundscapes proving a perfect juxtaposition with the raucous energy that hits you like a speeding train.
The compassionate opening befits the song title, “Holding Hands”, as if it’s an introspective look back at a simpler, more peaceful time in their lives. The tender-hearted vocal and soothing, almost melancholy rhythm demonstrates the textured and engaging sound they’ve produced. The sound of an old school computer modem firing up greets you on “Echoes in the Glass” as the song races along. The middle section is very different, but equally inspiring, as they turn the composition inside out with a different tempo before they crank it up again.
“Kyrie” and “When All is Said and Done” bring up the rear of the album and further validates the foursomes’ approach and dedication to making music that is without limits or boundaries. Rules are there to be broken and they’ve gone beyond that to produce an album that shows them in all their post metal, grunge tinged, melodic best.
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