Dog's Blood
Encyclopedia
Dog's Blood is an extended play
by the Canadian post-hardcore
band Alexisonfire
. The EP was released on October 31, 2010. Dog's Blood is a collection of four experimental
songs that are ostensibly different-sounding to the band's previously released material.
in July 2009, and an early 2010 release date was expected. By this point, the band had a small group of songs—one of which was an instrumental song written during the sessions of Old Crows/Young Cardinals, and the rest were written while Alexisonfire was on tour. The title track "Dog's Blood" was originally only a "really crazy riff
," that later evolved into a full song. Alexisonfire vocalist George Pettit
wrote macabre
lyrics that were loosely influenced by Nick Cave
. The title track features guest vocals by Olly Mitchell, the former vocalist of Johnny Truant
.
The album was recorded and co-produced by Alexisonfire and Jon Drew
, the latter of which has also recorded albums for the Canadian bands Fucked Up
and Tokyo Police Club
. Though much of the EP was written by September 2009, the band did not find time to record Dog's Blood until mid-late 2010 due to their rigorous touring schedule.
on November 2, 2010, though it will be distributed internationally on various dates through different labels. This release date coincide's with Alexisonfire's late 2010 tour schedule. A vinyl edition of the album was pressed limited to 2,000 copies in three different colors obtainable through different outlets: one color available from the band on tours, one available through the band's official webstore and the final can be found in record stores. The EP will also be available through online music retailers like iTunes and Amazon.com. Due to a delay in the manufacturing of the Alexisonfire Dog’s Blood EP it was not shipped until November 23.
All of the tracks on Dog's Blood are songs that the band felt were too different from their other material to ever make it onto a full-length, and thus released as an EP of "completely miscellaneous stuff." Alexisonfire used the extended play
as a safe medium for releasing their different-sounding songs without receiving backlash from their fan base. According to George Pettit, "If you're disappointed by an EP, you're probably still more than likely to come back for the next record."
The artwork was designed by the American artist named "Skinner." Alexisonfire gave Skinner the EP's title and the band's name, and allowed him to freely design a cover art based on these two aspects alone. The artwork was completed prior to the album's recording. Alexisonfire vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green
was a fan of Skinner's work, and decided to contact him to do their artwork. According to Pettit, "Dallas loves [Skinner's] art. He always had pictures of it on his computer. He said, 'We should get this guy to do some art work,' so we got in touch with him and he put together this cool, interesting thing."
Additional personnel
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
by the Canadian post-hardcore
Post-hardcore
Post-hardcore is a genre of music that developed from hardcore punk, itself an offshoot of the broader punk rock movement. Like post-punk, post-hardcore is a term for a broad constellation of groups...
band Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire
Alexisonfire was a five-piece, Juno-nominated post-hardcore band that formed in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada in 2001. The band consisted of George Pettit , Dallas Green , Wade MacNeil , Chris Steele , and Jordan Hastings .They describe their music as "the sound of two Catholic high-school girls...
. The EP was released on October 31, 2010. Dog's Blood is a collection of four experimental
Experimental music
Experimental music refers, in the English-language literature, to a compositional tradition which arose in the mid-20th century, applied particularly in North America to music composed in such a way that its outcome is unforeseeable. Its most famous and influential exponent was John Cage...
songs that are ostensibly different-sounding to the band's previously released material.
Writing and recording
Work on the Dog's Blood EP was originally announced in September 2009, shortly after the release of Old Crows/Young CardinalsOld Crows/Young Cardinals
Old Crows / Young Cardinals is the fourth and final studio album from post-hardcore band Alexisonfire, released on June 23, 2009. The album was originally referred to by the shortened title of Young Cardinals, until the name change was announced on April 1, 2009...
in July 2009, and an early 2010 release date was expected. By this point, the band had a small group of songs—one of which was an instrumental song written during the sessions of Old Crows/Young Cardinals, and the rest were written while Alexisonfire was on tour. The title track "Dog's Blood" was originally only a "really crazy riff
RIFF
The Resource Interchange File Format is a generic file container format for storing data in tagged chunks. It is primarily used to store multimedia such as sound and video, though it may also be used to store any arbitrary data....
," that later evolved into a full song. Alexisonfire vocalist George Pettit
George Pettit
George Pettit , is a Canadian musician best known as the former lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.-Biography:George grew up in the 'Gateway to Niagara' town of Grimsby...
wrote macabre
Macabre
In works of art, macabre is the quality of having a grim or ghastly atmosphere. Macabre works emphasize the details and symbols of death....
lyrics that were loosely influenced by Nick Cave
Nick Cave
Nicholas Edward "Nick" Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional film actor.He is best known for his work as a frontman of the critically acclaimed rock band Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, established in 1984, a group known for its eclectic influences and...
. The title track features guest vocals by Olly Mitchell, the former vocalist of Johnny Truant
Johnny Truant
Johnny Truant was a British, Brighton-based metalcore band, formed in 2000 under the name Severance. The band recorded 3 demos under this moniker before renaming themselves after the lead character of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel House of Leaves...
.
The album was recorded and co-produced by Alexisonfire and Jon Drew
Jon Drew
Jon Drew is a Canadian music producer and recording engineer based in Toronto. He has produced the albums of Polaris Music Prize winning band Fucked Up and Juno Award nominated Tokyo Police Club. He has also worked on the albums of Canadian bands the Stars, Attack in Black, and the Arkells. ...
, the latter of which has also recorded albums for the Canadian bands Fucked Up
Fucked Up
Fucked Up is a hardcore punk band from Toronto, Canada. The band won the 2009 Polaris Music Prize for the album The Chemistry of Common Life.-History:The band formed and played their first shows in early 2001...
and Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club
Tokyo Police Club is an indie rock band from Newmarket, Ontario, Canada. It consists of vocalist and bassist David Monks , keyboardist Graham Wright, guitarist Josh Hook , and drummer Greg Alsop ....
. Though much of the EP was written by September 2009, the band did not find time to record Dog's Blood until mid-late 2010 due to their rigorous touring schedule.
Release
Prior the EP's release, Alexisonfire debuted the album's titled track live and the 2010 CASBY Awards in Toronto, Canada on September 30, 2010, and a recording of the track was posted online. Dog's Blood will be released through Dine Alone RecordsDine Alone Records
Dine Alone Records is a Canadian independent Record Label founded by Joel Carriere. The Label specializes in a wide range of alternative rock. Dine Alone was until recently closely associated with Distort Entertainment's president Greg Below.-History:...
on November 2, 2010, though it will be distributed internationally on various dates through different labels. This release date coincide's with Alexisonfire's late 2010 tour schedule. A vinyl edition of the album was pressed limited to 2,000 copies in three different colors obtainable through different outlets: one color available from the band on tours, one available through the band's official webstore and the final can be found in record stores. The EP will also be available through online music retailers like iTunes and Amazon.com. Due to a delay in the manufacturing of the Alexisonfire Dog’s Blood EP it was not shipped until November 23.
All of the tracks on Dog's Blood are songs that the band felt were too different from their other material to ever make it onto a full-length, and thus released as an EP of "completely miscellaneous stuff." Alexisonfire used the extended play
Extended play
An EP is a musical recording which contains more music than a single, but is too short to qualify as a full album or LP. The term EP originally referred only to specific types of vinyl records other than 78 rpm standard play records and LP records, but it is now applied to mid-length Compact...
as a safe medium for releasing their different-sounding songs without receiving backlash from their fan base. According to George Pettit, "If you're disappointed by an EP, you're probably still more than likely to come back for the next record."
The artwork was designed by the American artist named "Skinner." Alexisonfire gave Skinner the EP's title and the band's name, and allowed him to freely design a cover art based on these two aspects alone. The artwork was completed prior to the album's recording. Alexisonfire vocalist and guitarist Dallas Green
Dallas Green (musician)
Dallas Green is a Canadian musician who releases music as City and Colour. He is also known for his work as the former vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.-Name:...
was a fan of Skinner's work, and decided to contact him to do their artwork. According to Pettit, "Dallas loves [Skinner's] art. He always had pictures of it on his computer. He said, 'We should get this guy to do some art work,' so we got in touch with him and he put together this cool, interesting thing."
Release history
| Release date | Region | Label |
|---|---|---|
| October 31, 2010 | United Kingdom | Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records Roadrunner Records is an American record label that concentrates primarily on heavy metal bands. It is currently a subsidiary of Warner Music Group.-History:... |
| November 1, 2010 | Europe | Roadrunner Records |
| Japan | Roadrunner Records | |
| November 2, 2010 | Canada | Dine Alone Records Dine Alone Records Dine Alone Records is a Canadian independent Record Label founded by Joel Carriere. The Label specializes in a wide range of alternative rock. Dine Alone was until recently closely associated with Distort Entertainment's president Greg Below.-History:... |
| United States | Vagrant Records Vagrant Records Vagrant Records is an indie rock label based in Los Angeles, California and is home to such artists as The Hold Steady, Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, Active Child, PJ Harvey, Reptar, School of Seven Bells, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Thrice, James Vincent McMorrow, Placebo, and many... |
|
| November 5, 2010 | Australia | Dine Alone Records |
Track listing
All lyrics written by Alexisonfire, all music composed by Alexisonfire.- "Dog's Blood" – 6:00
- "Grey" – 5:19
- "Black as Jet" – 3:52
- "Vex" – 6:02
Personnel
Alexisonfire- George PettitGeorge PettitGeorge Pettit , is a Canadian musician best known as the former lead vocalist of the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.-Biography:George grew up in the 'Gateway to Niagara' town of Grimsby...
– lead vocals - Dallas GreenDallas Green (musician)Dallas Green is a Canadian musician who releases music as City and Colour. He is also known for his work as the former vocalist, guitarist and songwriter for the post-hardcore band Alexisonfire.-Name:...
– rhythm guitarRhythm guitarRhythm guitar is a technique and rôle that performs a combination of two functions: to provide all or part of the rhythmic pulse in conjunction with singers or other instruments; and to provide all or part of the harmony, ie. the chords, where a chord is a group of notes played together...
, vocals - Wade MacNeilWade MacNeilWade MacNeil is a Canadian musician currently active as the singer of the English hardcore band Gallows, and the singer/guitarist/founder of the Canadian punk band Black Lungs...
– lead guitarLead guitarLead guitar is a guitar part which plays melody lines, instrumental fill passages, guitar solos, and occasionally, some riffs within a song structure...
, backing vocals - Chris Steele – bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Jordan HastingsJordan HastingsJordan "Ratbeard" Hastings is a Canadian musician best known as the former drummer of Alexisonfire, having replaced their former drummer and founding member Jesse Ingelevics....
– drumsDrum kitA drum kit is a collection of drums, cymbals and often other percussion instruments, such as cowbells, wood blocks, triangles, chimes, or tambourines, arranged for convenient playing by a single person ....
, percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
Additional personnel
- Olly MitchellJohnny TruantJohnny Truant was a British, Brighton-based metalcore band, formed in 2000 under the name Severance. The band recorded 3 demos under this moniker before renaming themselves after the lead character of Mark Z. Danielewski's novel House of Leaves...
- vocals on "Dog's Blood" - Alexisonfire – production
- Jon DrewJon DrewJon Drew is a Canadian music producer and recording engineer based in Toronto. He has produced the albums of Polaris Music Prize winning band Fucked Up and Juno Award nominated Tokyo Police Club. He has also worked on the albums of Canadian bands the Stars, Attack in Black, and the Arkells. ...
– production