For the ‘Dog Problems’ of youth, nothing beats unapologetic pop
Recently, there was a thread that came across my Facebook feed that posed the question “What’s the one album you had wished you’d written?” Scattered answers ranging from “Kid A” to “The Suburbs” littered the comments section, and for good reason. But, without much hesitation at all, I commented with The Format’s “Dog Problems” and moved on with my mindless scrolling.
One of my favorite records in my youth, and one that’s followed me well into adulthood, “Dog Problems” is an album of bubbly heartbreak, sporadic frustration and orchestrated whimsy. I’m pretty sure I discovered them through MySpace and saw them later that year in support of the All-American Rejects (hey, 2006 was a rough time for all of us).
I unapologetically adore all things pop – particularly its brash, sweeping melodies that get tastily stuck to the inside of your jaw like a movie theater box of Dots. There’s a conception that pop – in modern terms – means mindless, soulless, pitch-corrected, calculated records whose sole purpose is to be featured in CoverGirl commercials and sent to VH1 We-Love-The-Whatevers oblivion. That’s fair, sure; but pop’s main purpose, to me, is to express not only the songwriter’s emotions – but the listener’s, as well. A great pop song is a time capsule containing memories of the summer you went to the lake with that girl from youth group and her family, or that time you sat in your room with your ears buzzing with rage and hurt because you found out your best friend’s been seeing your crush behind your back. Lots and lots of albums can do this for a person, obviously, but when the timing is just right – it can act as a bookmark for a season (or a year, even), and that’s what makes music that much more special.
The Format, and “Dog Problems” as a whole, embodies this for me. Together, duo Nate Ruess (now of fun. fame) and Sam Means (perhaps the brains behind the operation) crafted an album that shone from the rest of the PureVolume sludge nine years ago. From open to close, “Dog Problems” is thematically focused on a shattered relationship in which our protagonist is cheated on, with each song detailing his subsequent failed attempts to move on – i.e. sweeping, power-pop-genius singles like “She Doesn’t Get It” and, perhaps my favorite track, “The Compromise.”
However, the album is split in half with the eponymous ballad “Dog Problems,” an almost carnivalesque journey through a haunted, hurt mind and a heart full of trombones and horns.
Impeccably mixed and produced, “Dog Problems” has a timeless aspect that unfortunately isn’t afforded to many of Nate Ruess’ more recent efforts (save for “Some Nights”), but that’s neither here nor there. The Format’s two-album career was an inspiring one; it brought about a resurgence of cinematic, orchestrated pop/rock music that almost fell by the wayside in the late ’90s but is now resurging in a huge way. With such precision, these big horns and loud strings scored teenagers’ bedrooms and lives.