ever soon the light of the moon will stop you in your tracks

We can all rest assured – The Moondoggies are just as good live as they are on their most recent album, Tidelands. Touring as direct support to Dawes, the band stopped by the Majestic Theater in Madison, Wisconsin on November 12, 2010. The band started their set as they did their album, with the excellent “It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity” and followed it up with the gorgeous title track, three-part vocal harmonies in full effect. The songs took on a slightly grittier and freewheeling tack, keeping their integrity but playing off the energy of the crowd and those of the bands bookending them. The Moondoggies are definitely worth getting to the show early enough to catch.

Click on either image below to see more photos from the show.

lead me on, lead me on, through the darkness, through the dawn

Let’s be plain: The Moondoggies‘ Tidelands is a damn-fine album. Hailing from the flannel-clad corner of the Pacific Northwest, The Moondoggies offer honest and hearty tunes that draw their energy from the land and the sea and the salt of the earth.

Grand vocal harmonies are often front and center on Tidelands, playing into the sense of the everyman projected by the album. The harmony gives way to a soulful groove on “What Took So Long”, and soars heavenward in the gorgeous bridge found about a minute into the title track.

“Empress of the North” reads like a refined campfire song, and singer Kevin Murphy’s strong, clear voice steers album closer “A Lot of People On My Mind”. Beautiful vocals aren’t all The Moondoggies have to offer, though; little touches like a slide guitar and railway drums transport you right to the moment, to a different place and time.

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Tidelands dropped 10.11.10.
Click to download “It’s a Shame, It’s a Pity“.

i know you seen me on the video (true)

Superchunk – Digging for Something (shiny and new)
The So So Glos – Fred Astaire (these punks sure clean up nice)
La Sera – Never Come Around (a Vivian Girl gets vicious)
Violens – Violent Sensation Descends (if life was more like Rosemary’s Baby)
Frankie Rose & The Outs – Candy (if life was more like Carrie)
Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffiti – Bright Lit Blue Skies (a sunnier vision of the future past)
Moondoggies – Empress of the North (quiet animation)
Foals – 2 Trees (puppy [?] puppets)
Sarah Jaffe – Clementine (beauty abound)
Wolf Parade – Yulia (forget-me-cosmonaut)