Who was it that said rock ‘n roll is dead? Well find me a voodoo doctor, ‘cause Dollhouse gone and done revived some “high energy rock ‘n soul” on their debut full-length album, The Rock and Soul Circus. And what a circus it is, with high-flying guitar solos, contorting vocals and a balancing pyramid of classic rock sound.
I must admit, I was nervous at first to hear what this quartet of Swedes had to offer (Swedish nü metal has left me traumatized), but these guys have found a unique balance of being Swedish and rocking. The sound of original late ‘60s, early ‘70s rock and roll is unmistakable, with clear tints of Led Zeppelin and the MC5. Not surprisingly, MC5’s bass player, Michael Davis, who also backs the band on their MC5 cover of “The Human Being Lawnmower,” produced the record.
What the album comes down to is this: this sound is neither new nor unheard of, but sounds fantabulous nonetheless. Most of the tracks sound akin to one another, no one song stands out from the other, and it’s as clear as a contortionist’s pyrex cube that these boys would put on an amazingly high-energy live show. And one useless but interesting reason they’re cool: their bassist’s name is Yoda (Hassinen). Shit, sign me up when this circus rolls into town!
