photo courtesy of Thermal Entertainment

Album Review of A Doll’s House: Annum

A Doll’s House has an interesting backstory. To summarize the “About” page on the band’s website, Dav Petrunich (guitar), Seth Rafkin (bass), and Tony DeFranco (drums) were in a band together in the late ’80s, playing gigs at the big LA clubs – The Whiskey, The Roxy, The Troubadour, etc. After parting ways for about 30 years, they reassembled, joined by LA vocalist David Santos, to release Annum, an album produced by Brian Wheat (who rock fans may know as Tesla’s bass player).

Something about A Doll’s House’s sound reminds me of The Moody Blues, America, Bread, Cream and similar seventies-style rockin’-yet-laid-back classic rock bands. Interestingly, from perusing the band’s bio, none of these were mentioned as early influences. Regardless, there’s a cool, smooth rock vibe permeating Annum, an album that would fit well into AOR playlists of almost any era.

image courtesy of Thermal Entertainment

“And Time” kicks things off with an opening, smooth flow, with a hint of slow progressive styling and modest-tempo guitar noodling driving the song’s sound.

“Hey Wait,” the first single, somehow moves steadily forward despite a a floating hauntiness. If playlist companioins were a wine pairing, I’d match this with Buffalo Springfield’s “For What It’s Worth.” “Hey Wait” is slower, smoother, and more richly produced – and I may really just be vibing on the “hey,” as in the latter’s “stop, hey, what’s that sound” – but it still strikes me as a solid two-fer.

“Woven” sneaks in some Beatles-esque soaring vocal runs. And “Change Your Mind” seems like an unpsychedelized (yeah, I know, not a word) version of a slow-tempoed, classic psychedelic rocker.

“Over Easy” could be a semi-acoustic ballad from a top ’80s/’90s band, with soft opening lyrics “You wish it wasn’t over, but it looks like it is. Try to straighten up your shoulders from that kick in the ribs.” Of course, the musical and vocal power kicks in whenever the song exits its verses, as in the immediately following lyrics, “And I can tell you, ‘Honey, you’re gonna be alright.” This was a great, AOR-friendly choice for the album’s second single.

photo courtesy of Thermal Entertainment

By now, at Annum‘s halfway point, A Doll’s House has established itself as a diverse, soft-tempo classic rock band that’s an easy, pleasant listen. If the “B side” doesn’t disappoint, this’ll be a good beginning-to-end listen whenever you want the mellower side of classic guitar rock on your turntable. Spoiler alert: The “B side” doesn’t disappoint.

“Woodwork” has almost a folk rock-influenced sound, simply smooth and flowing. “Steps to Summer,” next, opens with an almost country – maybe more Southern rock – guitar, with clever lyrics tying Summer, the woman, to summer, the season. In addition, the arrangement on “Steps to Summer” is unique from the rest of the disc, a cool diversion.

“Witch’s Tree” returns to mellow psychedelic-influenced rock, though it morphs into a guitar-screamer late in the song, channeling seventies classic rock stylings. I almost even hear hints of Boston in the song’s blistering axework.

As a Doll’s House nears the end of the record, the band really slows things down with the uber-mellow “Chimney” before flowing into the album’s closing track, the almost-as-mellow “Wisteria (Bloom).” Yet there’s something catchy about the song’s movements in “Wisteria,” from the flowing lead vocals to the richly harmonious “ooo-ooh”s to the soft, slowly-paced, perfectly suited mid-song guitar solo.

In total, Annum is a sneaky-good record, one I might have easily overlooked without a half-dozen listens. Fortunately, I gave the record its necessary spins. If this is your style of music, I’d recommend you give Annum a sufficient chance to win you over, too.