Pros: Good old riff-heavy rock and roll, plus a few notable ballads.
Cons: Not as immediately engaging when it slows down; vague lyrics.
The Bottom Line: Dosage is a slightly electronic rebirth for Collective Soul after the disappointing Disciplined Breakdown. If you're tired of the alternative/grunge/rap-rock scene, this might be a good antidote.
It was only a matter of time before I got around to reviewing Collective Soul. This five-piece band from Georgia, who for the most part creates riff-heavy, pulling-no-punches rock and roll in an age where most everyone else is trying to be as “alternative” as possible, has often been mistaken for a Christian band, and since I listen to mostly Christian music, I had heard a lot about the band before I decided to give them a try. I would surmise that most of the band’s fans (they seem to have a modest but loyal following, making them not quite mega-rock-stars, but definitely not obscure either) got in on the ground floor or soon thereafter with the band’s early hits “Shine”, “The World I Know”, “December”, etc. I, on the other hand, decided to finally investigate the band in the summer of 2000 when I heard that they would be the opening act on Creed’s fall tour (ironically, Creed had been unwillingly thrust into the Christian spotlight as well with the release of their album Human Clay). Though I had read many reviews saying that the band’s newer work didn’t measure up to their self-titled second album (regarded by many as their best), I still decided to start with the band’s fourth album, Dosage, released in early 1999. I was immediately quite surprised, and pleasantly so – I had expected an ordinary, background-music sort of rock band who played all the standard chords, wrote generic lyrics, and made their way onto radio by being as inoffensive as they could be. On most of those counts, I was wrong, and I don’t know why I thought that in the first place, but I get the feeling that some of those expectations may have come from other people’s disgust with the band’s third album, Disciplined Breakdown, which I must agree is exceedingly mediocre.
Within the first few minutes of the album, I was greeted with a sonic assault of guitars and other electronic textures, which later mellowed out into some less obtrusive, but still interesting ballads, and even if the songs on Dosage took varying amounts of time to work their way into my brain, eventually each one began to demand more attention. There’s something about these guys that is at once warmly familiar and yet still clever. The songs are, for the most part, musically predictable, but also a lot of fun. The lyrics are often minimal – just a few lines worth of a verse and chorus – and yet they often manage to communicate a lot in just a few vague words, even though it can also be frustrating to not be able to pin down more of a specific meaning at times. Perhaps the “Collective Soul formula” can at times be a bit of an overplanned attempt at trying to throw in something for everyone – you’ve got muscular guitar riffs and a few searing solos left over from the heavy metal era, plus some nice ballads to balance things out, and you’ve got Ed Roland’s voice, which alternates between cynical tough guy and sensitive spiritual seeker. But darn it, it hooked me.
Tremble for My Beloved It’s a world where madness craves, it’s a world where hope’s enslaved…
I was quite amused and surprised at what I was hearing as this song began to fade in. It opens with a weird electronic sample, over which guitarists Dean Roland (Ed’s brother) and Ross Childress begin to lay on some thick guitar chords, creating a soundscape that somewhat resembles U2’s transformation on Pop, except with a little more muscle. The song is in your face musically, but not in a grating, hardcore rock sort of way – rather, it has more of a mystical aura to it. The lyrics are short and sweet – two lines per verse, and after each line those guitars just let loose. It captures the seeming tension of the song, which I’ve been told is about a father learning to let his son go out into a world where people are cruel and he will get hurt. What amused me so much at the beginning of the song was the sample they used. If anyone else has heard of the Christian techno band Code of Ethics, pull out their 1995 album Arms Around the World and listen to the beginning of the first track, “Stick & Stones”. Exact same intro. I’m willing to bet it came from somewhere entirely independent of both sources, but then, you never know.
Heavy Complicate this world you wrapped for me, I’m acquainted with your suffering…
A choppy guitar riff kicks this short but sweet song (apparently a huge rock single) into motion, bouncing back and forth between the speakers, somewhat like the buzzer on an alarm clock, but not nearly as grating. The drumming is a little more straightforward here, and the electronics back off just a little, but the band still goes for the throat on this one, musically speaking. The lyrics follow the same pattern as the first tune, using the bare minimum of words necessary to portray frustration towards an overly needy person who Ed feels is weighing him down. (Either that, or he just doesn’t like fat people. But I’m guessing it’s more of an emotional issue.) While the starkness of the lyrics may sound unappealing, you’d be amazed at what Ed and company can get across with so few words. The song itself comes to an abrupt end, segueing wonderfully into the next track, but not before unleashing a wicked guitar solo in the middle.
No More, No Less Here I lie motionless, catch me if you can…
The third track slows things down a bit, bumping along on a mechanical loop that sounds like glass being broken over and over again. That’s more like something you’d expect from Nine Inch Nails, but Collective Soul takes the sound in a much more mainstream direction, layering a piano and a more comfortable melody on top of it. Ed has a little more to say in this tune – he seems to be speaking to a lover who has put him up on a pedestal, and he acknowledges the power her expectations have over him: “I’m no more, no less of an angel than you’d have me be.” The song is still shrouded in its share of lyrical obscurity, but it definitely wins coolness points for its approach, taking an easy-going style and mixing things up with some funkier bass lines (courtesy of Will Turpin) and a quirky little guitar solo that flirts with the piano a little bit. The most amusing thing is the line Ed tacks on at the end of the chorus, almost purposefully interrupting the romantic mood: “So let’s shake it like this.” Gee, I’d almost expect that line from a cheesy hip-hop song, but somehow Ed pulls it off here while presumably keeping a straight face.
Needs Here I slumber to awaken my daze, I find convenience in this savior I save…
This is the first real ballad of the record, built on the tried-and-true building blocks of a guitar and some strings. In some ways, it’s almost a lullaby, but it’s definitely not boring. In fact, it’s one of my favorite songs on the record. Ed seems to be surveying a world that has hurt him as he sings this song (definitely taking on the softer persona I mentioned earlier), possibly even the Christian church in which an apparently conservative family raised him and his brother. He turns away, stating, “I don’t need nobody, I just need to find the depth of doubt or faith to fall into.” It’s the cry of the spiritual seeker who has been burned, or the lover who has been betrayed. Just when the song appears to end after the bridge and a softer repetition of the chorus, it creeps back in with the strings taking center stage, and the tune crescendos into a lovely coda: “You’re all I need/When the water runs deep/You’re all I need/Now I cry my soul to sleep.”
Slow Clothed in new costumes that weather your newfound storms…
Just in the nick of time, another tasty electric guitar riff revs the band up once again, and we’re back in the slicker, more electronic territory of “Tremble”. (And I was expecting this to be another slow song. Hah!) This is probably one of the most enigmatic songs on the album, and not as popular of a tune with the fans, though I rather like it. Admittedly, it’s constructed rather awkwardly, and the verses can be rather annoying, with Ed placing emphasis on almost every single as he spits the words out rather robotically. The meaning of the whole thing is beyond me, though I get some vague sense of a young, idealistic person running off at the mouth when Ed asserts, “I’m not weakened by these fears that you have applied/I’m now learning in these walls that you have supplied”. When he sings “Slow down boy, slow down to control,” it reminds me a little bit of Radiohead’s song "The Tourist", but at a much faster pace (appropriately). There is a poem or something recited in the middle, but it’s buried underneath a guitar solo, and it’s a bit taxing to try and pay attention to both.
Dandy Life If I lost some of your hope, I’m sorry for the folly was all mine…
A bouncy beat and a jangly guitar introduce this laid-back tune, and here Collective Soul changes things up quite a bit by letting Ross Childress take the mic (I believe he wrote this one as well). The song starts out as an apology of some sort, but kind of meanders from there into a vague musing about everyday life, as if Ross starts to apologize but then gets distracted and goes off on a tangent. He has a quirkier voice, and it’s a welcome change, even if this definitely doesn’t sound like the Collective Soul we know and love. You can hear Ed more distinctly in the chorus: “Hanging on every day, my social butterfly/Everyone wants to be loved in their own way.” Okay, I think I understand. The only annoying thing about this song is that just when the electric guitars start to get going, the song suddenly ends. But once again, it makes for a good transition, something Collective Soul is pretty good at.
Run Is there a cure among us for this processed sanity? I weaken with each voice that sings…
The other big radio hit from this album (and one of the few songs of theirs that I still hear on the radio) starts off with a purposefully monotonous guitar strum, backed by a piano. Ed begins singing in a low, dull voice about how bored he is, and how he needs to find a messenger of some sort, and a predictable but friendly beat joins in, just to carry the weight of the song. Some strings are present as well, though they’re not as liberally used as in “Needs”, while Ross squeezes some interesting textures out of his guitar near the end of the song, but for the most part, this is standard acoustic pop fare. I’ve heard that this song is a veiled stab at the massive amounts of pre-packaged rock music coming out of the industry, and that’s what Ed is so bored with, and since he can’t find his messenger, he’s going to be that messenger. To that I can say only this – Collective Soul is cool and all that, but they ain’t the saviors of rock and roll. Ed sort of admits this when he asks the repeating question in the chorus: “Have I got a long way to run?”
Generate Hey, I’m flirting inside, I need the floor opened up for the scream I’d now love to shout…
This is another upbeat track that got panned by critics and fans for being too electronically “generated”. I rather enjoy the programmed drums that slither in and out of this song, and the real drums (played by Shane Evans) do make their presence known as the song gets going. It does have a bit of a robotic texture to it, but that fits with the theme of the song, where Ed is apparently chastising someone who just talks too much. He doesn’t bow to insults, per se, he just states that “I can’t convey, I can’t relate, to the thoughts you now generate”, as if the person were just a computer spitting out endless lines of gobbledygook. (Wow, my spell-checker actually recognizes the word “gobbledygook”!) I love the sludgy guitar lines that give the chorus that jarring quality – this song rocks and it’s simply underrated.
Compliment Hesitation compounds, I’ve nothing left to sustain, My worries here have allowed a momentary refrain…
After the expected dead-stop ending of “Generate”, this mid-tempo rock song fades in, reminding me of one of the more straightforward tunes on the self-titled album, such as “When the Water Falls” or “Bleed”. Musically, it’s a little punchier than the aforementioned songs, and it also has a more engaging tune, in my opinion (sorry, but the second half of the self-titled album bored me). Ed is dealing with his pride during this song – losing his innocence while seeking human praise. Pretty straightforward compared to the murkiness of some of the other songs, and a definite keeper, even if it’s not a track that jumps out and grabs your attention at first.
Not the One Patiently your world still bleeds, who shall be the one?
Something about this track feels a bit lifeless. It’s carried along mostly by a synthesized rhythm and yet another piano melody, swirling around with the guitars to create a mechanical waltz (which understandably fits with the opening line, “I waltzed around you seven times”) that never quite gets off the ground. I wouldn’t call it a filler track – it stands out, since it’s the only track that doesn’t have a 4/4 rhythm. It just doesn’t have enough going on to make it all that memorable. The minimal lyrics are definitely a liability here, but then, it’s not an annoying track, so I don’t feel the need to skip it.
Crown Who’s gonna be my savior now that I’ve learned to believe? And who’s gonna be the answer to all of my questioning?
At first, I thought this track was rather slow, dirge-like, and boring, but more recently, it’s started to become one of the highlights of the album. It’s carried along on a little more of the synthesized noise that dragged down “Not the One”, but here, it’s actually an asset, giving the track a purposefully detached ambience as Ed laments a spiritual dilemma that he finds himself caught in. Questions like “Who’s gonna be the shepherd to lead this poor boy back home?” and statements like “Well, I hope I’m not lost, but I find that hope is now distancing” may seem a bit melancholy, but they provide an interesting (if sad) glimpse into the more religious side of the band. Collective Soul has seemed to waver over the years between faith and doubt, with subtle shades of rebellion in between, and I’ve even seen naïve Christian music stores selling a few of their old albums. This song seems to be Ed’s declaration (not a “Precious Declaration”, though I was tempted to write that) that he wants to give faith a shot, but doesn’t know who to turn to for leadership. The vagueness of the lyrics seems to reflect a vagueness of belief – I don’t know quite what’s out there, but I believe there’s something to hold on to. And as the song fades off into the mist, it’s a nice thought with which to close out an album that is in many ways, the rebirth of a misunderstood band.
She Said She said she’s still searching for salvation’s light, she said she wishes all day, and she prays all night…
Hidden at the end of track 11, the bonus track on this album was originally features (in a slightly altered state) on the soundtrack to Scream 2. I don’t know if Collective Soul wrote the song with the movie in mind – I haven’t seen the movie. Frankly, it just doesn’t seem scary enough to fit the movie. It just talks about a female character who is growing and changing, struggling with rejection and doubt and alcoholism and various other things. The song tries to be upbeat and poppy, but it really has a weak beat and too moderate of a tempo to make it much of anything beyond lukewarm. It’s a nice bonus for fans of the band who didn’t want to buy the movie soundtrack, but most of the time, I take the CD out after “Crown” is over with.
Ultimately, this CD proved to be a good buy, even if the concert I was preparing myself for was a disappointment (Creed rocked, but Collective Soul was apparently having one heck of an off day). If you just need some good old-fashioned, catchy rock songs to brighten your day and make you think just a little bit, this’ll do the trick. If you liked a lot of Collective Soul’s punchier tunes like “Shine”, “Precious Declaration”, “Where the River Flows”, etc., you’ll find enough of these here too, and you’ll find that Collective Soul has backed off a bit on the less-interesting mid-tempo tunes, choosing to fill more of them out with a brighter musical palette. However, if you’ve never liked the band, I wouldn’t expect this to change your mind. If you just wish they’d rock out more, then you’ll get your wish with their next album, Blender… but that’s another review I’m long overdue on writing.
As for the album title, I have no idea what it means. It doesn't appear in any of the songs. But then, none of the songs are about drugs, so you don't have to let the title scare you off, do you?
TRACK REVIEW SUMMARY Excellent: Heavy, Tremble for My Beloved, Needs, Generate
Good: No More No Less, Slow, Compliment
Decent: Dandy Life, Run, Not the One, Crown
Weak: She Said
Skippable: NONE
Band Members:
Ed Roland: Lead vocals, keyboards, guitars
Dean Roland: Rhythm guitars
Ross Childress: Lead and rhythm guitars, vocals
Will Turpin: Bass, percussion
Shane Evans: Drums, percussion
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