Dos

  • Dos
  • Dos (New Alliance) 1986 
  • Numero Dos EP (New Alliance) 1989 
  • Uno Con Dos (New Alliance) 1991 
  • Justamente Tres (Kill Rock Stars) 1996 
  • Kira
  • Kira (Kitten Robot) 2021 

Dos — meaning, of course, two — consists of husband-and-wife bassists and vocalists Mike Watt (Minutemen, fIREHOSE) and Kira Roessler (ex-Black Flag). Since Kira has also composed for fIREHOSE, several of the short compositions comprising the pair’s charming album hint at that fine trio’s signature sound. A dose of Dos entails little more (and nothing less) than two basses sniffing around one another like curious animals, making it an atmospheric, playful, even loving pleasure to hear.

The two get groovier on their 1989 EP (six songs, paired with the debut on a single CD, Uno Con Dos) by covering Billie Holiday (“Don’t Explain”) and Sonic Youth (“P.C.H”). But more singing apparently means less bassing: except for two awesomely intelligent instrumentals, the deep-down sound tends to get lost in breathy melancholy.

[Richard Gehr]

See also: Black Flag, D.C. 3, Minutemen