THE FORMAT "Dog Problems"

I know that I've gone on and on about "discovery is everything" and how endearing it is to remember key people or moments in your life that have influenced you, but I really do hate it when I can't discover a band completely on my own. I guess that's harder to do really, but it was my job for years, so I pride myself on being that guy. I hate it more when the person who turns me on to it is Graham Smith. Bastard.

I'd never heard of the Format until last week when the aforementioned "coolest person alive" IM'd me twice a day until I listened to "Dog Problems". I know he knows what I like (read: sounds like Supertramp, you're in the ballpark), but I don't trust him to tell me as he is insane mostly. As soon as I heard the pianos, the soulful yearning vocals, the stirring whirring guitars, yeah, I was hooked. The album as a whole is a nice little journey though, some baroque, some straight up power pop, it's lovely.

Sample these two tracks in 320kbps glory. I've purposely not looked up any information on the band other than I know they are playing in NYC soon (Irving?) and that they have a stillborn record on a major a few years ago. Fill me in, please, cause I need to learn.

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OCEANS