Tag Archives: dog

My iPod #392: Babyshambles – French Dog Blues

“French Dog Blues” can be found on Babyshambles’ second album “Shotter’s Nation”, released back in 2007. Although I thought it was a single later released from it, it apparently wasn’t. Weird considering it has its own music video. But whatever.

For all this time I’ve never really wondered what the track was about; I solely liked it because of its sound and random lyricism. Though I’ve just read that Doherty said it is about the dog on the cover of the band’s first album “Down in Albion”. That’s made me even more perplexed because I would never have thought that that little picture was an illustration of a dog. All this time I thought it was a flag or something.

Not much I can say about it. I do enjoy it a lot though, and that’s all that matters.

My iPod #289: They Might Be Giants – Dog Walker

On This Might Be a Wiki – ‘the premier TMBG knowledge base’ – “Dog Walker” is the lowest rated track from “Join Us“. Out of the known 764 They Might Be Giants songs, “Dog Walker” is positioned right near the bottom at 731. I can kind of understand why. With its strange vocal manipulation and laid-back instrumentation, it is one that is hard to get your head around when listening to it for the first time. “Dog Walker” is weird.

Buuuuut there’s something oddly infectious about it. John Flansburgh sounds like he breathed in helium before doing the take but the vocals don’t sound as annoying or grating as they probably should. I think that is helped by the aforementioned instrumentation. Everything’s played at a cool rate. The keyboard, guitar and the rhythm section with extra percussion are all there, but are not overplayed to the extent of ruining the track’s groove.

“Dog Walker” is smooth, man. It took me a few listens to get into in. More so than any other track from “Join Us”. It has now been a favourite for a while, and is a very underrated song in a vast catalogue of material.