Grace Hotel
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Album Reviews

This is Shane Tutmarc’s first true rock recording. The innocence of Waiting For A World War is lost. The shiny, Wilson-esque pop of Suburbiac is shoved under the bed. New Old Friends is the perfect transition album, and blends garage pop containing hooks big enough to make the Guinness Book of World Records with a (surprisingly) crazy twist of riff rock and artful sap ballads. “I Smell A Lawsuit” ushers in a new Dolour, a Dolour in transition yet finding a confident voice with tongue-in-cheek power pop. “You Can’t Make New Old Friends” is more familiar Tutmarc territory, as rock gives way for an orchestrated, beach pop feeling. New Old Friends is a record is difficult to review because you can’t really put it into a box. So when I say that Dolour has evolved into a garage pop sound, take it in stride and realize that Shane Tutmarc uses a gigantic musical scope and the vibe that steadily comes across in these 13 songs is slightly blue collar, sweaty lo-fi gone digital. Brain Wilson influences are still overtly and blatantly heard, but with more indie attitude in composition than tidily spit-shined in production ala Suburbiac. I love the way sincerity translates in “Before Tonight’s Big Party”, easily the winner for the album’s best ‘feel good’ song. “CPR” acts as the backbone bracing the other 12 songs and contains everything that a trendy underground single needs to scale charts. The biggest surprise is definitely “Behind The Melody”, a waltzing bluegrass flavored ballad featuring a voice that I presume to be somebody else’s, with Tutmarc’s tenor doing backdoor vocal “oooowweee’s” toward the ending. New Old Friends is still decidedly pop, but a new premium has been placed on rocking out, and it’s a breath of fresh air. This is a record with lots of muscle. Welcome a gritty Dolour to town!

~ Garrett

For Ben Folds fans who can't stand the wait between albums, your problems are over. Dolour is the brainchild of an incredibly talented singer, songwriter and musician, Shane Tutmarc. While not as piano-laden as Folds' songs, Tutmarc's are just as good and offer a fresh indie-pop feel. You'll hear sound upon sound in Tutmarc's songs, which is probably why he credits 11 people, including himself, for performing on this CD. It's incredibly rich and powerful, yet subtle and fun. It's clear where Dolour draws its sound –artists like The Beatles, Brian Wilson and Elliot Smith –but they build on the sounds rather than try to blatantly copy the past. Dolour is one of those bands that will never get their due but you can do your part by turning some friends on to this great CD.

~ SH