It’s a story that didn't have to be told, but for me, and especially Jon, and Andy that plays in my band, we’re big Star Wars fans. Here’s my opinion on it: It didn’t have to happen. Any thoughts on the newest Star Wars movie, Rogue One? You like Star Wars so much that you even wrote a review of The Force Awakens. They keep you in this cold green room, and Conan O'Brien and Andy Richter walked by. We found out earlier, and Andy, my guitarist, is like the biggest MacGruber fan on the planet. We did Conan O’Brien’s show one time, and Will Forte was the guest.
Last fall you and your whole band performed live dressed as Will Forte’s character from “Saturday Night Live,” MacGruber. I have texted with him a little bit, and he's a really nice dude. You know, I liked it and thought that it was great. What was it like being covered by the guy from “Stranger Things”? I mean, you try, but it’s something to reach for, so it’s cool. The problem with listening to guys like that is like, “Yeah, cool, I’ll try to do a more acoustic-y sounding record.” These guys have written, like, some of the greatest pop songs of all time! So, yeah, a little hard to emulate, it’s almost frustrating. I knew how huge he is, but I didn’t know a lot of his stuff. When I started writing the record, yeah, I was listening to a ton of James Taylor and a ton of Paul Simon. Were you listening to anything in particular that influenced this new one? You and Jon Lent from your band have been covering everybody from Prince to James Taylor. Which was funny, deciding on the singles, but you know.
#Mac demarco this old dog on the level full#
It’s definitely one of those things where the album makes more sense as a whole, a full thing rather than single, single, single.
it fits on the album, but it's a little bit different-kind of a sister song to “ Chamber of Reflection.” There are two others on side B, one called “One More Love Song” that has real acoustic piano in it, which I’ve never recorded before. But that one's a little bit bossa nova-y sounding, I suppose. THIS OLD DOG sees him conquering this more mature side, without even a shade of boring.", 3 stars out of 5 - "He's best when he's more earnest, both lyrically and melodically, as on 'My Old Man,' a sweet shoulder shrug toward the harsh reality of turning into your dad.", "THIS OLD DOG is a subtle musical step forward.'Moonlight on the River' descends from wistful yacht-rock into a haze of psychedelic distortion.", "It’s some of his best music yet - a reminder that casual people are capable of moving forward, instead of sticking in the same place."Īn emphasis on self-reflection signifies a tonal shift on the singer/songwriter's third strong full-length.I think my favorite song on the record is the first song from side two, “Dreams From Yesterday.” I tried to do a bossa nova album when I was younger, maybe when I was 20 or something. "THIS OLD DOG is not only the part-time prankster’s longest and most acoustically-powered record, it’s a shining testament to his evolution as a songwriter.", 4 stars out of 5 - "He can be the good-time, goofy guy with a reputation that precedes him, or he can be an earnest songwriter with serious bite.