77. Dogstar - "Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees"

I pride myself that this list is always full of bemusing entries that are designed to raise your collective musical eyebrows. This is very much one of those curveball entries. Those with a long memory will recall that pre-matrix Keanu Reeves played with being a would be rockstar in the early 90s. His band, Dogstar, are probably most infamous for getting pelted with fruit at Glastonbury 1999 because they were, if I’m honest, pretty shit. 

Plagued by musical indifference and a shared realisation that they weren’t very good at this thing, Dogstar split in 2002. And that should be it. But this is Keanu Reeves, a man who has had more reinventions than the iPhone. During the early days of the pandemic, the three erstwhile members of Dogstar found themselves quarantining in close proximity. To pass the time they started jamming together and “Somewhere Between the Power Lines and Palm Trees” was born. 

This is the best U2 album that U2 never made and it is blindingly obvious that somewhere in the last two decades Keanu, Robert Mailhouse and Bret Domrose have all managed to find the time to become pretty decent musicians. There is an uplifting introspection to the album, and I found myself really enjoying its laid-back anthemic qualities. Conclusive proof that it might take time but there is nothing that Keanu Reeves can’t do well.