Dr. Dog: Box of Wonder & Amazement

Open Google Play's "Box of Wonder and Amazement" and there's no telling what you'll find. The idea is simple: Google Play invites bands to open up the mysterious box and make a song using whatever instruments they find inside. The results are always a surprise.

This time around, roving Philadelphia rock band Dr. Dog drop by to flex their improvisational skills. Dr. Dog's sound ranges from classic rock and Beatles-esque pop to the psych and folk sounds of the '70s, but one thing they almost always depend on is the classic combo of guitar, bass, and drums—none of which they'll find here. Instead, they get a ukulele, a melodica, a toy-sized Casio keyboard and a sampler. But their performance of "Jackie Wants a Black Eye' proves that, however you dress it up or strip it down, it's the song, and the band, that matters most. (Related: did the melodica player find that bear fur shawl in the Box, too?) "We're all in it together now, as we all fall apart," the band sings, but while the first part aptly describes the band's close, almost acoustic vocal harmonies, the second part's a lie: Dr. Dog hold it together here just fine.

Also in the box for you: an exclusive free EP of tracks from their recent studio album, Be the Void. Visit Google Play now to see all this and more. – Eric Grandy, Google Play

"That Old Black Hole" Dr. Dog

Free tracks on Magnifier are available in the US only.