Dr. Dog
Fate
(Park The Van Records)
This should be the album that pushes this Philadelphia-based indie band over the top. Fate, Dr. Dog’s fifth album, is the sound of a group hitting its stride: rousing, rootsy rhythms meet intricate backing harmonies on standouts like “Hang On” and “The Rabbit, The Bat & The Reindeer.” There is a kitchen-sink approach to instrumentation—piano, organ, slide guitar, strings and horns are liberally scattered throughout the songs—but the deployment of sounds is judicious and tasteful. The album has an organic, everyone-gathered-in-a-room-jamming Big Pink feel, and includes a few spare, downbeat numbers to balance the flow. —Matthew Dube
Noah and the Whale
Peaceful, the World Lays Me Down
(Cherrytree/Interscope)
Noah and the Whale is the musical project of Charlie Fink, a deft guitar picker who layers his playing with chiming glockenspiel, choir-like groups of voices, and string and brass accompaniments. Fink is joined by his brother Doug on percussion and their pal Tom Fiddle on (get this) violin. It’s grand orchestral indie pop for fans who like the sensitivity of Coldplay and arty touch of Feist. This isn’t bad music, but it sounds suspiciously like something created for car ads designed to appeal to hip and quirky young people. —John Adamian
GFE
Broken Time Machine
(independent)
“Sean Hannity is a douche bag!” Yeah, we all know, but to play a new CD and hear those words just makes one smile. The Asheville, North Carolina-based hippie-hoppers are back at it, pronouncing their love for marijuana and calling the irresponsible rulers governing our nation a bunch of assholes. Organic compounds, including live instruments and rhymes, are layered with pre-recorded beats, and it all comes together like a vegan lasagna seasoned with plenty of herb. The album veers into a more commercial sound on a few tracks, but swerves back to the right side of the road when they call Ann Coulter a guy. —Levon Kinney
Mark Erelli
Delivered
(Signature)
Delivered, Mark Erelli’s seventh album, captures blue-collar America in ways not heard since early John Gorka and John Cougar Mellencamp. You’ll also hear echoes of fellow Boston-area songwriters. On “Baltimore,” he rocks out and hits high notes reminiscent of Ellis Paul, while “Man of the Family” has the gospel-meets-urban-reality feel of Vance Gilbert. Erelli might be evocative, but he’s never derivative. Both “Hope Dies Last” and “Five Beer Moon” are masterful probes of how Everyman rockets between deep cynicism and cautious optimism. “Shadowland” and “Volunteers” are worthy additions to the ever-growing Iraq-as-worthless-sinkhole oeuvre. Just call this a great album and enjoy. Erelli plays the Iron Horse Oct. 10. —Rob Weir