Today's album: Dinosaur Feathers - Fantasy Memorial (Self-Released 2009)Genre: Indie Pop, Folk
Running time: 10 tracks, 46:21
In a nutshell: Lush, invigorating springtime pop.
It's hard to tell whether certain artists actually intend for their style to coincide so closely with a particular season. For example, bands like The Clientele consistently fit the fall's hazy, bittersweet niche, and yet they will release albums at any time of the year, seeming to suggest that their aesthetic is more universal. Whatever their intentions, I personally don't listen to Clientele albums in the Spring or Summer.
I wonder if the breezy, sun-soaked folk-pop of Dinosaur Feathers would fair any better in the cooler months. Their debut album, Fantasy Memorial, is not difficult to describe. On the foreground you have vibrant vocal harmonies, backed by folk-rock, and lightly embellished with psychedelia and Latin poly-rhythms. The closest comparisons that come to mind would be Fleet Foxes or The Dodos.
However, describing them this way doesn't really do any justice to the sheer amount of talent shown on this album. These guys can write really catchy songs, and back them up as well. The vocals are really what Fantasy Memorial is all about, though. For example, in Family Waves a harmonized call and response hook shifts unexpectedly to syncopated round-singing. There is enough richness in the vocals alone to hold the song together, while the accompaniment takes it from solid to excellent. There are enough quirky guitar effects, complex drum patterns, and spacey flourishes to make repeat listens rewarding long after the vocal hooks have been driven into your head.
If I made Fantasy Memorial sound addicting, it's because I've been addicted to it for roughly the past two months. I'll probably tire of it before the summer ends, and then pick it up again next spring. The album has a vitality to it, you have to be in a particular mood to enjoy it.