Dolour Albums (3)
What The Critics Say
Dolour's New Old Friends is a shockingly excellent blast of fresh, fun, and exciting guitar pop. The album is a glittering blend of hard rock, bubblegum, chamber pop, and retro power pop that sounds sort of like old-school Sloan. A lot like that actually, but with a more varied approach to songwriting. If that sounds good to you, then New Old Friends is going to be in heavy rotation around your house. The album kicks off with "I Smell a Lawsuit," a glam stomper that rides waves of vocal harmonies, dual guitar leads, Shane Tutmarc's soaring vocals, and a huge hook. The record seldom lets down from there. Candy-sweet melodies, energetic performances, subtly and witty lyrics, and the soul of the best pop, with power from beginning to end, every song sounds like it should be a hit. "Next to U," "Candy," and "Running Forever" are songs good enough to transcend the pop underground, good enough to be actual pop songs that regular people listen to and enjoy. The sound of the album is a vast improvement over 2002's Suburbiac, much more organic and arranged with loads of little musical hooks that keep things interesting, like the horns on "Cheer Up Baby," Hammond organ and handclaps on "Butter Knife Suicide," the goofy heavy metal soloing on "CPR," and the churchy organ on "October 25th." Dolour have crafted an album that has great songs, sounds great, and makes you feel great as you listen. What more could you want? ~ Tim Sendra, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
"That [Dolour] is the band name. Well...it's not really a band, it's just one guy." So it says right on the spine of Suburbiac. Now that we've got that out of the way, Shane Tutmarc -- whose placidly handsome visage takes up the entire CD cover -- is the guy and this is his second recording. He's clearly listened to a lot of lovesick harmonic pop in his time, everything from the Beatles, the Beach Boys, and Big Star to fellow Washingtonians like the Posies, but it's surprising how much "Highway Hypnosis," in particular, sounds like a less dance-oriented Scritti Politti. Although "new wave" isn't an appellation that applies to Dolour quite as well (despite all the keyboards), there's no shame in conjuring up the spirit of that now largely forgotten "sophisti-pop" band (whether intentionally or not) -- Green Gartside and company had it all over the haircut bands of the 1980s, what with Gartside's heavenly vocals and superior sense of songcraft. If the less-consistent Suburbiac doesn't quite hit the heights of Scritti's classic Cupid & Psyche '85, it's still an admirably accomplished release from this mop-topped boy wonder and his multi-instrumentalist pals. ~ Kathleen C. Fennessy, All Music Guide
'Waiting for a World War'
Release Date 4/17/2001
Tracks 11
Label Sonic Boom
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
Dolour's strong debut LP establishes the band with a firmly poppy yet retro overdriven underground sound -- what one would imagine a collaboration between the Flaming Lips and the Beatles might sound like. Shane Tutmarc's soft and expressive voice blends nicely with the textural and colorfully mixed instrumental section: fuzzy yet sparse guitars, overdriven drum sounds, bass guitar, and synth. Wonderfully cheesy Beach Boys vocal harmonies are occasionally found floating in the background, supporting and enhancing the power of the melodic main vocal. This concise album contains a plethora of catchy, well-written pop songs, beautifully sung by Shane Tutmarc and artfully recorded by Blake Wescott. ~ Solar Marquardt, All Music Guide
