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Track Listings
| 1. Dear Rose |
| 2. Oblivion |
| 3. Judy’s In Her Sandbox |
| 4. Underground |
| 5. A Dog’s Life |
| 6. A Love Song |
| 7. Stormy Weather |
| 8. Smiley |
| 9. Roadkill |
| 10. Nobody Knew Her |
| 11. Too Much In Between |
| 12. Jimmy’s Rose Tattoo |
| 13. The Long Walk |
| 14. All Your Life |
| 15. 4 Yrs |
Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Lyrically, Nastasia uses metaphor here there and everywhere. "Judy's in the Sandbox" tells of a wild young woman trying to be calmed by her man, but he fails so "He wipes his brow and steps inside to play within the rules". The almost jarred cello of this track really works to enhance her portrayal of the situation. Accompaniments are put to good use, the slow jig of "A Dog's Life" is given a jolly mischievous bounce-a-long sound, which suits the subject matter: the desire to give it all up and "lie under the couch" and "chew a bone".
The claim that this is just another singer/songwriter's, album, with some pretty depressing lyrics, can be thrown at Nastasia and it's true. But this should not detract the listener from the quality of these 15 songs. Things do go astray towards the middle of the album ("Smiley" and "Roadkill") but they do perk up again with "Nobody Knew Her"--a fair attempt at what could have been a Toad the Wet Sprocket track. Wait for a sunny lazy afternoon, sit back and listen, it won't disappoint. --Jamie Clark
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Customer Reviews
Fortunately, Steve Albini, who recorded the album in October 1999 at his Electrical Audio Studios in Chicago, sent a copy to the nation's favourite deejay, and with his usual keen ear for the original, the inspiring and the raw, he began featuring it heavily on his Radio One show, describing it as "astonishing", although by the time he played it on air, it had already become out of print. She went on to become a regular contributor to the programme, in session, on record, in concert and in performance at Peel Acres, and in 2004 "Dogs", by now with its own cult following, was re-released by Touch And Go.
Judging from the record, Nina clearly has bad days and worse days, and tends to sing about characters who are less fortunate. It is music like this that makes for the most satisfying listen, and Nina is its mistress.
Although a native of Hollywood CA, she spent the nineties in downtown New York, honing her music with partner and musical organizer Kennan Gudjonsson in their Chelsea home. As a result, the record is a distillation of a decade of composing and performing and contains a number of concise, finely-tuned songs that have remained in her concert repertoire, with sparse, eerie arrangements, including A Dog's Life, Stormy Weather (not the standard), Too Much In Between, All Your Life and Jimmy's Rose Tattoo.
Of the record, Steve Albini said in Mojo, 'Nina Nastasia's "Dogs" is a record so simultaneously unassuming and grandiose that I can't really describe it, except in terms that would make it (and me) sound silly. Of the couple thousand records I've been involved with, this is one of my favourites, and one that I'm proud to be associated with', and John Peel described the songs as 'very direct without being posy or too clever. There's an attractive air of melancholy without self-pity.'
Nina's perfectly-pitched vocals and acoustic guitar are tautly accompanied by cello and violin, an occasional electric guitar, some well-judged musical saw, accordion, piano, acoustic and electric basses and the vital underpinnings of some extremely subtle drum work, faithfully conveyed by Steve Albini's meticulous engineering. It was unlike any record before it and has set the mold for her future work to date. It is good to have it back in catalogue.
I loathe the term "alternative - country", and more-so I loathe bands who are actually assumedly from this genre (Handsome family take note). So suprised was I that Nina Nastacia was placed into this section that I started to doubt bothering to go and see her play live. After I say her play I bought all three albums sold at the venue.
"Dogs" is simply a sublime work of beautiful acoustic guitars, strings and cruching lyrics of such subtle yer supercharged acute observations that are written to make you smirk in deep pity. Nina's vocals are stunningly layered over the wonderful concoction of low brow low-esque drums, breeders style circa "POD" viola and accordians.
Yet for all these untarnished sounds and quiet undertones comes through something quite powerful. It's heart to pinhole the overall effect, it's not morbid yet it is melancholy, it's not amusing yet it is funny, it's slow paced yet upbeat.
For those who may read this blindly and think I'm talking about a cheap skiffle influenced banality band then remeber this - Steve Albini has produced all 3 Nina Nastasia albums and invited her to All Tomorrows Parties. the sound is very nice indeed
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