The Dodos are a wonderful example of a band that doesn’t want to reinvent the wheel just to have an individual sound. Logan Kroeber prefers his drum kit sans kick drum which compliments their new presumably full-time member on vibraphone, Keaton Snyder, very well. Acoustic guitar player and vocalist Meric Long will inevitably earn them some attention from critics hoping for a folk resurgence but this band’s sound is far closer to some version of Animal Collective than Nick Drake.

The production should have a familiar ring to it since Phil Ek is at the helm. It smacks of Fleet Foxes, Built to Spill, The Shins and Band of Horses. While these records all share his personal touch, it’s certainly still a Dodos record, even if some of the aggressiveness might have been dialed back a bit. The vocals sit right on top of the mix throughout most of the record giving it a highly melodic quality. The record almost sounds timeless and will most likely age quite well.

Following up Visiter which turned heads all over the world just last year, Time To Die seems like an inevitable record but released surprisingly quick. Many groups spend much more time writing, recording, and releasing a record of this quality. It’s certainly worth a listen if you follow any of the bands mentioned in this review. They all seem to reflect something about the end of our decade.