Logo
DiS Needs You: Save our site »
  • Logo_home2
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • In Photos
  • Blog
  • Podcast
  • Search
  • Community
  • Records
  • In Depth
  • Blog
  • Community

THIS SITE HAS BEEN ARCHIVED AND CLOSED.

Please join the conversation over on our new forums »

If you really want to read this, try using The Internet Archive.

New Dog

Teeth Marks

Label: Heart of a Dog Release Date: 04/03/2016

102536
fire_on_the_skin by Haydon Spenceley March 21st, 2016

Albums can become part of our lives in a variety of ways. In my youth, hearing bands on 'The Evening Session' on Radio 1 would be the catalyst for me to scour the racks in a store, seeking to find an album, before probably buying the complete discography of whichever act was 'the best band in the world' that week. These days, as happened in the case of this beautiful piece of work by New Dog, an album can become a part of your life simply by popping in to your inbox.

When the album arrived, I had no idea who New Dog (Anar Badalov) was, but one listen to Teeth Marks, his second album under that moniker, and I was left with similar feelings that those albums which became touchstones of my musical existence gave me back in the Ninetiess. Do you remember that excitement? That feeling that nothing else in the world matters quite as much as the album you were holding in your hand and the joy listening to it would give you? This is a record that can evoke those emotions.



Teeth Marks is a beautiful album of downtempo electronica-tinged folk. Throughout, Anar's soft voice whispers plaintively as he lays bare what seems to be his entire self. “I'll tell you anything you wanna know, if you just let me walk you home” the chorus to opening track '3AM' promises. Its bright and breezy sound gives the impression that this is going to be an easy listen. Nothing could be further from the truth. 'Here All Days' finds Badalov sadly intoning “all the people that I love I can count om one hand” and we find that we are in the midst of what seems to be a suite of songs based around coming to terms with everyday life. The kind of life that we are not promised when we are young, but which, for most, is inevitable. 'Here All Days', musically, is one of the albums' most uptempo moments. Some lovely guitar tones and rolling, processed drums leave plenty of space Badalov's vocal to take centre-stage. 'Lover's Palm' mixes swathes of distorted guitar with nicely-judged piano figures to provide the foundation for Badalov to croon “tonight, while you sleep, I'm gonna meet you in your dreams_”. The track is as foreboding as it sounds. Elsewhere 'Nothing Has Changed' is another opportunity for a beautiful lament at a life seemingly without hope. “You're still drinking in the afternoon”, he accuses before the song's coda kicks in in a moment of undiluted emotion.

'The Party' and 'Too Far' follow, companion pieces about a party which will be thrown "but he won't be there, and you'll love him more for it". The latter's beautiful, sonorous piano accompaniment is a real highlight of the whole album. Closer 'Would You Let Me In', brings things to a head with a final desperate request for communication, for intimacy. That the album finishes with the request unanswered and the issues New Dog has presented unresolved is the crux of this whole project. Life is messy. It is confusing. It hurts. New Dog knows all this. Listening to this album lays plain that he has lived it, perhaps still is. Teeth Marks is a window into his journey, his life, his very soul. This is a decidedly lo-fi album. You won't find all of the bells and whistles so prominent on so much contemporary folk music here. What you will find is one of 2016's most honest records. It's an album to delve into and in which to find beauty.

Now, if only there were still radio stations playing this sort of thing.

![102536](http://dis.resized.images.s3.amazonaws.com/540x310/102536.jpeg)
  • 8
    Haydon Spenceley's Score
Log-in to rate this record out of 10
Share on
   
Love DiS? Become a Patron of the site here »


LATEST


  • Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024


  • Drowned in Sound is back!


  • Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Year: 2020


  • Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter


  • Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing


  • Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alternative must sees



Left-arrow

Autolux

Pussy's Dead

Mobback
102535
102537

Clint Mansell

High-Rise

Mobforward
Right-arrow


LATEST

    news


    Why Music Journalism Matters in 2024

  • 106145
  • news


    Drowned in Sound is back!

  • 106143

    news


    Drowned in Sound's 21 Favourite Albums of the Y...

  • 106141
  • news


    Drowned in Sound to return as a weekly newsletter

  • 106139

    Playlist


    Lykke Li's Sadness Is A Blessing

  • 106138
  • Festival Preview


    Glastonbury 2019 preview playlist + ten alterna...

  • 106137

    Interview


    A Different Kind Of Weird: dEUS on The Ideal Crash

  • 106136
  • Festival Review


    Way Out East: DiS Does Sharpe Festival 2019

  • 106135
MORE


    news


    The Neptune Music Prize 2016 - Vote Now

  • 103918
  • Takeover


    The Winner Takes It All

  • 50972

    Takeover


    10 Things To Not Expect Your Record Producer To...

  • 93724
  • review


    The Mars Volta - Deloused In The Comatorium

  • 4317

    review


    Sonic Youth - Nurse

  • 6044
  • feature


    New Emo Goth Danger? My Chemical Romance confro...

  • 89578

    feature


    DiS meets Justice

  • 27270
  • news


    Our Independent music filled alternative to New...

  • 104374
MORE

Drowned in Sound
  • DROWNED IN SOUND
  • HOME
  • SITE MAP
  • NEWS
  • IN DEPTH
  • IN PHOTOS
  • RECORDS
  • RECOMMENDED RECORDS
  • ALBUMS OF THE YEAR
  • FESTIVAL COVERAGE
  • COMMUNITY
  • MUSIC FORUM
  • SOCIAL BOARD
  • REPORT ERRORS
  • CONTACT US
  • JOIN OUR MAILING LIST
  • FOLLOW DiS
  • GOOGLE+
  • FACEBOOK
  • TWITTER
  • SHUFFLER
  • TUMBLR
  • YOUTUBE
  • RSS FEED
  • RSS EMAIL SUBSCRIBE
  • MISC
  • TERM OF USE
  • PRIVACY
  • ADVERTISING
  • OUR WIKIPEDIA
© 2000-2025 DROWNED IN SOUND