Search - Dogstar :: Happy Ending

There's an adage in Hollywood that writers want to direct, musicians yearn to be actors, and actors hunger to be musicians. Indeed, ample evidence abounds to support the maxim. Which brings us to Dogstar, who've ironically never escaped being dismissed as lightweight, arguably because of their Hollywood connections; the band's bass player is film star Keanu Reeves, while drummer Rob Mailhouse did his time on a soap opera. Ten years on, Happy Ending represents their American "debut release," and if its occasionally grungy pretensions seem to have missed that bandwagon by a year or four, they also can't betray the pop sensibilities ("Halo," "Stagger") of ex-Nuns member Bret Domrose, whose singing and writing is actually the band's focus. The ex-San Francisco punk rocker's songs are possessed by an almost folksy sensitivity ("Cornerstore,""Washington") wed to a polished alt-rock. Unfortunately, Domrose's rhythm section mates are both fine actors. The presence of radio-friendly producer Richie Zito and a cover of the Carpenters' "Superstar" seem to hint that this is a band that both yearns to be taken seriously and is willing to lease a little soul for a shot at mainstream acceptance. --Jerry McCulley