Review Summary: A band known simply for being "Keanu Reeves old band" deserves to instead be known for recording this marvelous, underappreciated album.
DOGSTAR may be one of the most written-off bands of the 90s, and it genuinely irks me. The most famous aspect of the bands history is the fact that Keanu Reeves was the bassist. Not the fact that their album Happy Endings outshines most alt rock/post-grunge albums of the 90s.
What did they do right on this album that made it resonate so well with me when I listened to it? Well, much of that can be attributed to the song structures and the songwriting in general, excluding certain lyrics that may not work well. There’s a lot of raw emotion you’ll find on this record. In the vocals, delivered so fantastically by Bret Domrose, the layers of guitar and harmonies that create moments of a nostalgic beauty, such as in Cornerstore and Blown Away, and can create an infectious energy in songs like Swim and Halo. It’s always refreshing to be able to feel a song’s emotion. It seems like more and more the music I hear never sounds genuine, and many of the songs on this record feel like they truly come from the heart. Another well-refined aspect of this album is its sound quality. There’s a good amount of bass presence, and there is interesting interplay between both stereo sides, especially with the symphonic strings. Not only in the literal quality however, but also in the tone. The guitar tone is always really effective in the overall tone of the song it is on, whether it is a slower, ballad-esque tune, or a faster more energetic track. The band consistently does a great job of channeling the tone of the song to convey it perfectly to the listener, and is one of my favorite aspects of the tracks on this record. Some standout songs for me were Swim, Cornerstone, Blown Away, A Dreamtime, and Stagger. Not to discredit the other songs, which are for the most part almost equal to these, but these songs are very nearly perfect and give the best sense of emotion and tone to the listener.
Unfortunately, the album isn’t perfect. On the other hand, the flaws mostly reside in one aspect of the album. The big issues are regarding themes, lyrics, and vocals. Like I said, the song structures of this album are amazing, with great interplay with hooks, riffs, melodies, harmonies. However, Domrose isn’t a Freddie Mercury or Eddie Vedder. As a result, sometimes his focus on emotion can lead to some off pitch/key vocals, that may sound wavering or even a little over-the-top. It isn’t prevalent enough to be more than a slight afterthought, but it is a flaw. Along with this are the lyrics, which can sound slightly lazy or silly/clichéd at parts. It doesn’t bother me as much, since my expectations for lyrics in rock songs are not too high. However, to another it may be more off-putting than to myself. I can attest though that there are some fantastic metaphors and lyrical content on this record that surely make up for the low points in my eyes (ears). The last major issue I had was the themes. They were not as diverse as I would like to see, and a lot of the songs relate to a significant other or loved one, which can become tiresome to some listeners. And the themes in some tracks like stagger may seem a little too 90s cliché subject matter, but I personally enjoy some 90s cheesiness.
This album is a really interesting one. I think if this album came out 5-7 years earlier, it may have been significantly more successful and memorable among the masses. I believe it genuinely deserves to be, because in terms of 90s alternative, this album does distinguish its high quality, emotion, and finesse above the seemingly cookie-cutter bands that populated this era of grunge/post-grunge.
