Dodos Churning Out Records

For The Dodos, it's all about quantity, not quality.

I initially thought singer Meric Long was joking when he said this during a phone interview from his home in San Francisco, but after my chuckle was not reciprocated, I realized he was serious.

"We're kind of shooting for quantity," he said. "Once you record a record, you immediately say, 'I want to do this again, but better.'

"I guess some people aren't like that. They take their time and polish it. But we don't really do that. We say, 'We want to make a record and whatever happens, happens.'"

That explains why, less than a year and a half after they put out their third album (second under The Dodos moniker) they've released Time To Die, a sleek, musically-driven effort that, frankly, sounds more meticulously-constructed than rushed.

Changes abound on the new album. Most notably, the group, formerly composed of just Long and percussionist Logan Kroeber, added Keaton Snyder, a talented music school dropout, on vibraphone. Long met Snyder through a neighbour who was connected to the school Snyder formerly attended.

He said, so far, their latest addition fits in seamlessly with the former duo. "It hasn't changed anything," he said. "It's affirmed the dynamic of how we write and interact. I definitely feel like this band is based around me and Logan and another is on the periphery, in a certain way."

Another major change — one that accounts for the extra sheen on new disc — is the band recruiting famed producer Phil Ek (The Shins, Les Savy Fav). Long said Ek "raised the bar" for the nine songs that made it onto the album.

"We wanted him to take us out of what we normally do," he explained. "He brought a different side of our band out, I think. The record is a little more consistent than the last one and more produced."

Still, it's the band's last effort, Visiter, that Long says is garnering them a growing audience. It puts them in a strange spot, riding the momentum from their last release while promoting a new one. Soon, they will embark on a worldwide tour that will take them across the United States, a few stops in Canada and around Europe.

When we spoke, Long had just returned from a visit with his acupuncturist where he was stocking up on herbal remedies for the road.

"She works with bands and gives me a little kit for tour of various remedies and herbs for stuff that tends to happen on the road. She has a hangover remedy made up of all these crazy herbs and alcohol. It's really intense. I don't take it as much as I used to," he said.

And after the herb-fueled tour? You guessed it.

"In January, when we get back from tour, I want to put something out," he said. "I want to get back to recording."

Here are The Dodos' upcoming North American tour dates:

Oct. 7 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
Oct. 8 Asheville, NC @ The Grey Eagle
Oct. 9 Washington, DC @ Rock And Roll Hotel
Oct. 10 Baltimore, MD @ Talking Head
Oct. 12 Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
Oct. 13 Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall Of Williamsburg
Oct. 14 New York, NY @ Bowery Ballroom
Oct. 15 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East Restaurant & Nightclub (Downstairs)
Oct. 16 Montreal, QC @ La Sala Rossa
Oct. 17 Toronto, ON @ Lee's Palace
Oct. 19 Chicago, IL @ Bottom Lounge
Oct. 20 St. Paul, MN @ Turf Club
Oct. 22 Denver, CO @ Bluebird Theater
Oct. 24 Boise, ID @ Neurolux
Oct. 25 Portland, OR @ Aladdin Theatre
Oct. 26 Vancouver, BC @ The Biltmore Cabaret
Oct. 27 Seattle, WA @ Neumos
Oct. 29 San Francisco, CA @ Bimbo's
Nov. 15 London, England @ Scala
Nov. 17 Lille, France @ Grand Mix
Nov. 18 Nantes, France @ Olympic
Nov. 19 Strasbourg, France @ La Laiterie
Nov. 21 Antwerp, Belgium @ Trix
Nov. 22 Groningen, Netherlands @ Vera
Nov. 24 Copenhagen, Denmark @ Loppen
Nov. 25 Dresden, Germany @ Beatpol
Nov. 26 Prague, Czech Republic @ Akropolis
Nov. 28 Utrecht, Netherlands @ Le Guess Who Festival
Nov. 29 Cologne, Germany @ Studio 672
Nov. 30 Stuttgart, Germany @ Schocken
Dec. 1 Vienna, Austria @ Chelsea
Dec. 2 Munich, Germany @ 59:1
Dec. 3 Bern, Switzerland @ ISC
Dec. 5 Turn, Italy @ Spazio 211
Dec. 6 Ravenna, Italy @ Bronson
Dec. 7 Naples, Italy @ Duel Beat
Dec. 8 Rome, Italy @ Circolo Degli Artisti
Dec. 9 Milan, Italy @ Amigdala Theatre
Dec. 11 Perpignan, France @ Le Mediator
Dec. 12 Mallorca, Spain @ Teatre Lloseta
Dec. 13 Zaragoza, Spain @ University Auditorium
Dec. 15 Lisbon, Portugal @ Santiago Alquimista
Dec. 17 Vigo, Spain @ Museo Marco (Clausura Festival Sinsal)
Dec. 18 Valladolid, Spain @ Sala Borja
Dec. 19 Madrid, Spain @ Sala Nasti
Dec. 20 Barcelona, Spain @ Becool