Seattle, Wash.
New, Old Souls
www.moondoggiesmusic.com

When Seattle-based quartet The Moondoggies released its debut album in 2008, the band sounded like a veteran act. Evoking the spirit of early-‘70s rock and roll, with traces of bluegrass and country, the group’s heartfelt lyrics and languid melodies were the musical equivalent of a worn, vintage army jacket. The Moondoggies’ latest album, Tidelands, offers an even more doleful collection of songs. “It’s harder to write happy songs,” says vocalist and guitarist Kevin Murphy. “It’s easier to be in the songwriting mood when you’re feeling on the somber side.” Tidelands is an ode to Ketchikan, Alaska, where he and his family would visit to escape the city when he was child. “It was very important for me to do,” he says of the album. “It was a more productive way of dealing with things. I felt like a lot of the album was about working through issues that had to be put into a physical form somehow.”

When Seattle-based quartet The Moondoggies released its debut album in 2008, the band sounded like a veteran act…