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Album Details

• Artist: Dogs Die In Hot Cars
• Album: Please Describe Yourself
• Label: V2 International
• Year of Release: 2004
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: challey on 2004-11-11

Remember "Come On Eileen"? That hit song from the 80's by Dexy's Midnight Runners, a band that inevitability ended up on every one-hit wonder list that's been created since then? Imagine an album full of songs which sound similar to that and you'll have an idea of what Dogs Die In Hot Cars' debut album, "Please Describe Yourself," sounds like.

Wait, don't stop reading yet! At this point, you're probably completely uninterested in this band, because honestly, who wants to be reminded of "Come On Eileen" anymore than they have to? Dogs Die In Hot Cars takes this sound and improves on it, however, adding an upbeat, original sound to all of the songs. Much of the album is reminiscent of early XTC, both in terms of the punchy melodies of the songs and the vocals as well.

The first half of the album is completely flawless, in the way that only few albums are. Every song is an absolute classic, from the pounding single "Godhopping" to the ska/new wave hybrid of "I Love You 'Cause I Have To," to the beautiful "Somewhat Off the Way." "Apples and Oranges," which marks the start of the second half isn't quite as remarkable as any of the first five tracks, but is still a great song in its own right. Even though writing about "Paul Newman's Eyes" may be an odd topic to create a song about, the track is just as good as anything that comes in the first half of the album.

"Glimpse at the Good Life" is the perfect closing to a nearly perfect album; a swooping, halfway-melancholy track about what life could be.

Even if you don't think this album will appeal to you, it's still worth checking out. No matter what types of music someone enjoys, I can't imagine that anyone could actively dislike Please Describe Yourself. Each of the ten songs is a standout on its own, and the album is one of the very best of this year.

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