Since winning Rolling Stone’s “Choose the Cover” contest in 2011, Saskatoon rockers The Sheepdogs have undoubtedly become a household name in the Canadian music scene.
Having won three JUNO Awards earlier this year, the band subsequently signed with Atlantic Records with plans for their major-label debut.
The debut comes in the form of the eponymous The Sheepdogs, named because it is the band’s first release outside of Canada. ”I know, it’s not wildly creative,” frontman Ewan Currie told Spinner Magazine in an interview.
“But at the end of the day, this is our introduction to all those places outside Canada.”
The Sheepdogs is an impressive 14-song effort showcasing the band’s obvious improvement in musicianship, songwriting, and production. The record starts with the aptly-titled “Laid Back,” a relaxed, southern-rock jam featuring gang vocals and pounding drums in the catchy, sing-along chorus.
A honky-tonk piano line also adds to the atmosphere of the piece, completing a wonderful start to the record.
“Feeling Good” soon kicks the tempo up a few notches, with an onslaught of fuzz-guitar and a stomping rhythm section, complete with hand-claps. The band shows their vocal harmonies are in top shape throughout each chorus section, longing for the days of 60s rock heroes The Guess Who and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.
“Alright OK” is a lyrically simple, yet instrumentally impressive song, featuring multiple guitars, mellotrons, and incredible vocal harmonies.
Without a doubt, the track is one of the album’s highlights.
“Never Gonna Get My Love” and “Ewan’s Blues” are two slower, groovier tracks on the album, showing the Sheepdogs are completely at home and in their element.
“Never Gonna Get My Love” is a perfect example of a southern rock love song, featuring an abundance of pedal-steel slide guitars and simple acoustic strumming patterns winding their way through the piece.
“Ewan’s Blues” is a simple, mellotron-based piece which features vocal harmonies done in the style of indie-folk heroes Fleet Foxes before the song develops a mean groove permeated with conga drums, hand shakers, and electric guitars.
The Black Keys influence appears once again on “The Way It Is,” which could easily be an outtake from the popular American blues rock duo with its syncopated guitar riff and catchy refrain. Black Keys drummer Patrick Carney plays the role of producer on The Sheepdogs.
His influence is quite apparent on tracks such as “I Need Help”, “How Late, How Long”, and “While We’re Young”. Recorded in Nashville, Tennessee over 14 days, the production quality of The Sheepdogs also sounds more modern when compared to their previous effort Learn and Burn, in which the vintage production style was quite pronounced.
