Having incubated between the floorboards of clubs where the sweat of legends served as the blood of life - Dogs Die In Hot Cars has sprouted from the Hot Hot Heat of the underground as a hybrid of Scottish troubadours and ska-inspired local heroes. The lads eschew the annoying "oi-oi," crutch and most other such devices that separate Dexy's
Midnight Runners from Franz Ferdinand. The band has a wide variety of influences and
peppers this tasty release with many of them. Please Describe Yourself is ample evidence that Dogs is a band that won't plummet from the radar, once their hit release "I Love You Cause I Have To" has run it's course.

This is a very well-rounded and brilliantly conceived work that, to my shame, I purchased at Best Buy. Before you judge me, I should point out that I'd been given a gift card for my birthday, and though I hate to nurture the evil corporate beast, hey - thirty bones is thirty bones - try to forgive me. Local radio is playing the daylights out of their hit single, which I like, (though I'm not crazy about the Sammy Hagar voice-over in the chorus) still I was eager to see if these guys had more up their sleeve. With the headphones (which were also covered by the 30 dollar shopping spree in double B) I explored Please Describe Yourself thoroughly and am happy to report that the album is much better than I would have ever imagined.

These Scots have woven together a winning blend of snappy choruses and catchy hooks, not to mention lyrics good enough to make the Proclaimers walk 500 miles. Though "Celebrity Sanctum" drifts into the Jurassic sound of Eddie Money and the Alan Parson's Project, there are more than enough tunes such as "Godhopping" that could be mistaken for Clash B-sides. I could compare sounds all day long so I'll just quit while I'm behind. Watch out for these guys, they're in the Killers/Interpol/Strokes ranks, and are waiting to launch a full-on Shock and Awe campaign.