"Let go of the old ones/We've got some new ones," sings Scott McMicken on "The Old Days," a woozy parlor-room piano-rock reverie. The Philadelphia band's albums have always sounded like they should be filed alongside "old ones" like the Band, the Beach Boys, the Beatles and the Bonzo Dog Band, but Fate feels less like a straight tribute to Dr. Dog's elders and more like a finely tuned collage. "The Breeze" begins as a trembling folkie ballad for acoustic guitar, piano and harmonica, then trippy multitracked vocal harmonies ride in on a reggae-lite bass line. "Army of Ancients" is a gospel-flavored power ballad that nods to John Lennon and declares, "I'll skip the sermon and stick to the booze!" The pleasantly apocalyptic "100 Years" crossbreeds a weathered Workingman's Dead levity with a Sgt. Pepper circus vibe. It's all more evocative than memorable, with the exception of "From," a harmony-rich keeper about love and God and choo-choo trains with singalong verses and a perfectly constructed guitar break. More like that one would be nice. But then again, some of life's greatest pleasures are the ones you don't quite remember in the morning.(Rolling Stone)
