Number 4: The Format – Dog Problems

The Format’s sophomore release was in my opinion the most well written pop album of the year, and funnily enough probably the least successful. Despite my efforts to locate ‘Dog Problems’ at my local music stores it was distinctly absent. Why?


I have no clue man. Songs like ‘Time bomb’, ‘She Doesn’t Get It’, ‘Oceans’ and many others would have been perfect for radio release and yet we see this album getting little or no recognition outside of the blogging community. This is of course a crime, and the whole conundrum of it all is mind boggling. This was the album i piucked to make it big in 20006 and it barely registered as a blip on the radar. What impressed me so much about this album apart from the quality of song writing was the sheer quality and complexity of the production. Full of horns, clarinet solos (‘Dog Problems’), epic voice loops and beautiful string arrangements, Dog Problems definitely does not feel like a sophomore album, but the fact that it is only this duo’s second effort makes me anticipate their next release. The indie community has a tendency to crap on about totally uninteresting bands all for the sake of indie cred, but the Format deserve all of their critical accolades. Please do yourself a favour and purchase this album, if you can find it that is.

Listen to: She Doesnt Get It
Oceans - itunes file