Hailing from Philadelphia, Dr. Dog plays progressive rock in the best sense of the word.

Time was, a lot of pop music felt like the song “Stranger,” where punchy rhythm guitars and layered vocals are the hallmarks of the song. Throw in bass lines reminiscent of Paul McCartney, and you get the idea.

Each song here has similar pedigree. Well-written and well-conceived, the music is an art form that has otherwise largely ceased to exist; you get funky pop on songs like “Unbearable Why,” with heavenly melodic harmonized guitars, while sustaining chords and a disjointed guitar solo power “I Only Wear Blue.” The title cut is an exercise in harmony (thanks in part to Jim James of My Morning Jacket) where the vocals match the plaintive cry of the slide guitar.

For fans of the Beatles or Supertramp, Dr. Dog is a gimme. It’s a joy to hear a band work so hard to make a good song – and here they do it 11 times.

This article originally appeared in VG’s Jul. ’10 issue.  All copyrights are by the author and Vintage Guitar magazine.  Unauthorized replication or use is strictly prohibited.