Smarter Dodos

San Francisco-based indie duo The Dodos will bring their music to Dunn Meadow on April 19 for WIUX’s Culture Shock. So what you’re probably wondering is: What do they sound like?

The band’s most recent album Visiter, which was released in March, is a collection of folk-pop that puts melody over mind, preferring to create an atmosphere over showing off lyrical prowess. They emphasize percussion, guitar and vocals with Joy Division-esque equality, but with a brighter, acoustic sound.

The group’s standout strength is its percussion. In a world of indie pop that hits dry drums on eighth and quarter notes, The Dodos fill their sonic space with complicated rhythms crashing and banging. Their drums sound miked from a distance, creating a lot of ambience that’s clean and tranquil as much as it is noisy and enveloping.

But even though the drumming stands out because it’s unusual, The Dodos’ guitar is just as impressive. It’s all acoustic, but whether it’s the slide guitar in “Paint the Rust,” the frenetic finger work of “Jody” or the jangling pop it usually sticks to, it all comes off as virtuosic but never pretentious.

Vocals contribute more to Visiter’s ambience than to lyrical substance, often repeating the same line for most of the song. But the approach doesn’t subtract from the album’s appeal, instead making it all the easier to lose yourself in.

Visiter’s main drawback is that after a while of listening, the songs get monotonous. The jangle and repetition are endearing for a few tracks, but listening to the whole album straight through is taxing, especially during “Joe’s Waltz,” the fifth song, which clocks in at more than seven minutes and doesn’t pick up speed until more than half way in.

But Visiter is a comforting album, the kind to listen to while drinking some hot tea. And if Culture Shock is as cold as it was last year, you might want to consider doing that when you go see them this week.