Dollhouse - The Rock and Soul Circus

In March 2003, these scrappy young Swedish rockers hung around the stage door of London's 100 Club and handed their 7-inch to the bass player of their favorite band, Michael Davis of the MC5, who liked what he heard. Packed with real deal rock and roll--screaming and soulful guitars, screaming and soulful vocals--that Michael Davis describes as "What the MC5 wished we could sound like." Davis himself backed the band on a cover of the MC5's "Human Being Lawnmower". The end result is energy, timing, an onslaught of wah-wah, and rock and soul. Dollhouse also appears on the DVD "Sonic Revolution: A Tribute To The MC5", featuring the surviving members of the MC5, as well as Lemmy (Motorhead), Dave Vanian (The Damned), Ian Astbury (The Cult/The Doors), Jack White, Death In Vegas, DJ Zane Lowe, and more. Album Description

A lot better than most

Dollhouse's "Rock and Soul Circus" really gets right what so many rock bands get wrong these days. They're the real thing, and they by far outpace other (so-called) "garage rock" bands like the Vines, the Hives, and the Caesars, all of whom seem happy to temper their music with varying degrees of commercialism. Dollhouse, on the other hand, put together a manic display of rock steeped in jazz and soul that is simply uncompromising. They make no secret of their infatuation with the MC5, and the 5's influence shows heavily on most tracks. ("Human Being Lawnmower" is an MC5 cover; "Born Under a Bad Sign," while not a 5 original, was a popular cover in their live sets back in the day; and, of course, this album was produced by MC5 bassist Michael Davis.) Not that that's a bad thing, as the MC5 remain one of the best rock bands of all time; but it does somewhat prevent Dollhouse from displaying enough of their own sound to be successful as an original band. In fact, the band's relentless, driving sound is so consistent throughout "Rock and Soul Circus" that it borders on tiresome toward the end of the album. Nevertheless, they're so much better than most new rock bands out there, and deserve a lot more recognition than what they've received.

If you want to impress all the frat boys and poseurs at your party, play Jet's "Get Born." If you want to blow everyone at your party away with a genuine and talented rock band, play Dollhouse. July 23, 2005

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