Dog Is Blue - ...Makes Ghost Noises
By: Matthew Parker
Dog Is Blue
...Makes Ghost Noises
(Facekick)
SOUNDS LIKE: Leonard Cohen's grandson's basement duo. 
WHY/WHY NOT: Ontario residents Dog Is Blue bring us a rather lovely collection of lo-fi folk tunes. Most tracks are built around budget synthesisers, softly strummed guitars and the crackling vocals of singer Paul Watson. Lyrics tend to lean on the poetic side and tread a fine line between meaningful and cheesey, occasionally veering into the latter category ("Wish"). This is often the case with new artists, and Watson would do well to have a little more confidence in his songwriting abilities. Musically Makes Ghost Noises is reminiscent of the kind of compact folk/indie gems found in the Spielberg-hyped film Once; all fragile vocals, female backing, guitars and xylophones.
It's a nice record and an excellent little personal project, but it lacks the ambition and musical spread to really push it over into stronger artistic territory. Among the album's stand-out tracks, and clearly one of Watson's favourites (as he reprises the track at the album's close) is "Raise Your Dead", a nice melody laden track in which subtle instrumental flourishes result in a rewarding listen. However, the ideas from "Raise Your Dead" are used repeatedly throughout the record to less successful ends and a bit more variety in the songwriting would have been welcome.
Video: "Happy Hallowe'en" by Dog Is Blue
