Under and Under

For the past several years, a slew of 12"s, 7"s, and cassettes have been released by the mysterious Brooklyn artist known as Blank Dogs. Blank Dogs is actually singular - it's the insanely prolific one-man band of Mr. Blank Dog. Not too much is known about the guy behind the bedroom new wave/pop/punk act and he's usually covering his face with masks or bedspreads, but that's fine. The sound is Joy Division vocal lines with The Cure's synth and guitar melodies filtered through ancient, submerged keyboards and eroded recording equipment. And that voice? All the feedback in the world can't hide his knack for melody. Blank Dogs has been making plenty of rumbles in the noisier and more secretive outposts of the underground. All of their records were pressed in limited editions, sold out quickly, and, without fail, wound up fetching big bucks with collectors on eBay.

Under and Under shows off Blank Dogs' pop chops to a greater extent than any of his previous releases. Also, for the first time, Blank Dogs has incorporated the assistance of outside musicians to lend a hand. Various artists from the Brooklyn music scene - members of the Crystal Stilts and Vivian Girls, among others - contribute this time around, though the sound remains as dusted and strange as anything Blank Dogs has done before.