Oh Doctor

While Oh Doctor doesn't really fit comfortably into the "emo" category, its music does bear some resemblance to bands in that genre: the impassioned, "I'm-dying-from-intelligent-introspection" wails of the Nixon brothers, Acey and Kodi (who also play guitar and bass, respectively), and a taste for long, declarative-statement song titles ("Play the Victim I'll Be Disease," "I've Got Better Things to Do Than Dance"). But the band's multiple-bridge song structures, twin guitar harmonies, and stews of synths and samples are more akin to bands like The Blood Brothers, At the Drive In, and Fugazi. Oh Doctor recently self-released its debut full-length, Color Behind Closed Eyes, which contains some impressive musicianship and pristine production, the latter courtesy of Larry Elyea. Most of the 13 songs on the album suffer from sonic sameness — a formula of wailing, screaming, and recurring tidal waves of guitars, but two standout tracks break up the multi-layered mold: "Needle and Thread," which pulses with deep, lurching rhythms, and "Sheets," which opens with tinkling ivories and marches into a metal hybrid ballad featuring guest vocals from Lindsey Vogt, singer for fellow locals Eyes Set to Kill.