Through the past, lightly

The primary knock against Dr. Dog has always been that it has an inconsistent sound, borrowing from various 1960s bands at whim without ever really developing its own musical style.

Be The Void does absolutely nothing to refute this claim, and it will only give the naysayers even more ammunition. It's all over the place stylistically, throwing in everything from afropop to rockabilly to Strokes-esque stripped-down modern alt-rock.

This kitchen-sink approach will annoy those who've always been annoyed by Dr. Dog — and, honestly, they may have a point. The lack of a cohesive vision, along with generally weak writing, keeps the band from greatness. But the album's united by the vibrant, colorful energy and sense of joy that defines (and elevates) it.

The guiding principle on the album seems to have been "Why not?" Why not throw in a sitar on "Turning the Century" so it sounds like a mid-period Beatles song? Why not include some electronic bells and whistles on "Warrior Man?" It's a big, stomping ramble of an album that's only made more enjoyable by the sense that anything could happen.

Even the darkest tracks on the album are infectiously fun. The bluesy lament "Lonesome" — which, with its messy slide guitars and lines such as, "What does it take to be lonesome/ Nothing at all," sounds like it was recorded by a hipster Lead Belly — is as foot-tappingly catchy as anything else on the album.

It's good music for bad times. The album is driven by the delight the bandmembers clearly take in just getting to play, constantly rushing forward even when they're actually looking backward and reaching into the past for inspiration.

VERDICT: Schizophrenic but endlessly enjoyable, Be The Void will please fans of Dr. Dog's work.

rgifford@umdbk.com