I’m drinking whiskey and listening to the new Sheepdogs album. It’s called The Sheepdogs. I’m pretty sure this is exactly how the band would want me to listen to them. I’m also considering growing out my beard, living up on a mountain, and exclusively drinking Pilsner.
The Sheepdogs exude coolness and after listening to them you want to be friends with the band. Their sound is straight from the ‘70s — they could be the lovechild of The Allman Brothers and The Black Keys if that was how bands were created.
The Sheepdogs’ self-titled album is their jump to a major record label, after they won a competition held by heavyweight magazine Rolling Stone.
In this old school battle of the bands, the winning act got a major label record deal and their faces on the cover of the magazine. Sounds like something from a Dr. Hook song.
Patrick Carney (of Black Keys fame) produced this album. You’d assume that you’d hear Black Keys influences all over it, and although there’s a few (not a bad thing at all) The Sheepdogs still stay true stick to their sound they established in their previous effort Learn & Burn.
This is one of those albums where song titles don’t matter because this is a record you listen to from front to back. You have to sit there and listen or throw it on in the background when you’re laughing with friends on your porch in the hot sun.
There are some heavy tunes on here, and just when you think that you’ve heard all they have to offer, they throw something different at you.
Slow burners that eventually will melt your face off, to tracks that will have you thinking “You know what? I was TOTALLY justified in how I left my ex. I’m drinking all of this beer”.
Plain and simple, this is rock ‘n’ roll music and one of Canada’s best new bands.
Let’s hope they’re going to be around for a long time. Buy this album. On vinyl. All the cool kids are doing it. Oh, and The Sheepdogs will be your friend if you do.