Misadventures of Doomscroller

by Dawes

Overview

With 2022's Misadventures of Doomscroller, Dawes have crafted one their shortest and tightest albums to date that also happens to be one of their most enjoyably experimental. Produced with longtime associate Jonathan Wilson, the record is a brief at seven tracks. Of course, two of those songs -- the opening "Someone Else's Cafe/Doomscroller Tries to Relax" and the closing "Sound That No One Made/Doomscroller Sunrise" -- are over-nine-minute epics, in which the band punctuate singer Taylor Goldsmith's poetic lyrics with jazzy guitar solos and fusion-esque instrumental sections. It's a vibe that evokes the proggy 1970s style of Steely Dan without losing any of the emotive, singer/songwriter pathos that marked the best of their past work. As with 2020's Goodluck with Whatever, there's a sense that Goldsmith and his bandmates are still ruminating on the troubled state of the world and seeking refuge in small pleasures. On "Doomscroller Tries to Relax," Goldsmith sings, "So, let's enjoy each other's company on the brink of our despair." This palpable blend of experimental rock and philosophically introspective songwriting continues throughout Misadventures of Doomscroller. We get the Fleetwood Mac-style guitar arpeggiations of "Comes in Waves" and the bluesy, barroom kinetics of "Ghost in the Machine." On the latter, Goldsmith underlines the existential dread at the core of the album, singing, "All the doubts and hesitations/I built up in my early years/Are under reconsideration/Through the music of the spheres." In some ways, Dawes' stylistic explorations here feel akin to how their similarly inclined contemporaries Wilco also profoundly expanded their sound with 2001's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Thankfully, all of Misadventures of Doomscroller feels relaxed and organic to where Dawes find themselves eight albums into their career. ~ Matt Collar

Product Details

Release Date:	10/28/2022
Label:	Rounder
UPC:	0888072428133

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dawes   Primary Artist
Jonathan Wilson   Drums,Percussion,Drums,Percussion
Trevor Menear   Guitar
Griffin Goldsmith   Drums,Vocals,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
Wylie Gelber   Bass,Guitar (Bass)
Taylor Goldsmith   Guitar,Vocals
Lee Pardini   Organ,Piano,Guitar,Vocals,Clavinet,Wurlitzer,Clavichord,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
G.W. Goldsmith   Drums,Percussion,Vocals (Background)
L.M. Pardini   Organ,Piano,Guitar,Clavichord,Synthesizer,Vocals (Background)
T.Z. Goldsmith   Guitar,Vocals
W.Q. Gelber   Guitar (Bass)
Mike Viola   Vocals
Luis Conte   Percussion

Technical Credits

Clara Balzary   Photography
Jonathan Wilson   Engineer,Producer,Recording,Recording Producer,Mixing,Producer,Recording,Recording Producer
Adam Ayan   Mastering,Mastering Engineer
James Jolliff   Composer
Griffin Goldsmith   Group Member
Wylie Gelber   Group Member
Taylor Goldsmith   Composer,Group Member
Brian Schwartz   Management
Ian Bush   Art Direction,Package Design
Seiji Inouye   Photography
Jimmy Joliff   Composer
Crawford Byers   Management
Grant Milliken   Mixing,Engineer
Lee Pardini   Group Member