Reviewing Dovetail’s Mount Karma

Urgh, that album title stinks. What could be more pretentious, so overwhelmingly egocentric, as a band calling the record Mount Karma? Maybe an album called The Om of Destiny. Let’s allow it to slide though, because the music isn’t nearly as bad. The Texas band is as influenced by ’70s pop groups like the Carpenters and harmonic rock like Wings, even the Beach Boys, as it is by more contemporary bands like Keane. The band won the 2012 John Lennon Song Writing Contest for the song “Julie,” and it is a nice enough tune. Much like all 14 tracks that make up Mount Karma though, it all feels a touch forced. On paper, all of the elements are there for this to be a cool little record, but the emotion isn’t convincing at all. Not horrible, but it falls a little flat at the exact moments when you suspect they think they’re soaring.