Dr. Dog

After finding critical success with last year’s We All Belong, Philly band Dr. Dog have followed it up with more of the same. Fate kicks off strongly enough with highlight "The Breeze” and it soon becomes apparent that the band’s love of the Beatles hasn’t lessened, continuing to rear its head throughout. Thankfully it never completely overwhelms the band’s folky pop music, which relies on just the right amount of quirkiness to stay memorable. Unfortunately they never quite figure out what that right amount is and too many of the good songs are balanced out by rather uninteresting ones that tread water with overly elaborate vocal arrangements that must have seemed like a good idea at one time. Despite all that, Fate isn’t a complete blowout and Dr. Dog still possess a certain amount of the charm that caught the ears of the likes of My Morning Jacket in the first place. But they need to find some new aural tricks to fall back on.