There is only so much you can do with a drum machine, piano, acoustic guitar and an affinity for five part harmonies. You could make an excellent show choir routine in Ohio, maybe? But the always eccentric Brooklyn band
Dinosaur Feathers have managed to make me eat my foot on this one.
Fantasy Memorial, their first, is an incredibly expansive record bubbling with their staple raw materials; a surprising melting pot of fantastical arrangements, tropical panache, and bits of 1960's flair. "Why did Dinosaur Feathers write a song about Vendela Vida?" asks popular NY-snoot publication
The New Yorker. Good question. Here is a better one: where can I see them play it? Because it is great.
Full disclosure: I've been following them for some time. Working with the excellent pianist and very-high voiced "Duck" in a restaurant for some time led me to an interest in his extra-work "hobbies" (read: obviously not just a propensity for building model airplanes). So I've seen the Feathers play in small clubs around New York ("Teenage Whore" is so much fun). But their new batch, which includes some tunes I've not yet heard, is really spectacular. Full review is forthcoming, so stay peeled (huh?).
Right now they are out and about the US on a tour. They are playing a few shows at SXSW, including a night party (
Free on Thursday, 3/18. Catch them out there in the wild or grab their debut,
Fantasy Memorial, which is out now on
themselves. -
joe
Dinosaur Feathers on Myspace
3/5/10 - Fantasy Memorial CD Release Show the Studio @ Webster Hall New York
3/6/10 - The Ox w/ Lonnie Walker and Grandchildren Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
3/7/10 - The Zodiac w/ Lonnie Walker, Grandchildren and Moss of Aura Baltimore, maryland
3/8/10 - The Camel w/ Lonnie Walker and Grandchildren Richmond, Virginia
3/9/10 - Slim's w/ Lonnie Walker and Grandchildren Raleigh, North Carolina
3/10/10 - The Milestone w/ Lonnie Walker, Grandchildren and Bo White's Liquid Gold for Your Soul Charlotte, North Carolina
3/11/10 - The 529 w/ Predator and Girls at Dawn Atlanta, Georgia
3/12/10 - FOBURG FEST @ the Dragon's Den New Orleans, Louisiana
3/13/10 - Super Happy Fun Land w/ My Milky Way Arms Houston, Texas
3/14/10 - Carousel Lounge w/ My Milky Way Arms Austin, Texas
3/16/10 - SXSW House Party w/ Holy Wave, Dikes of Holland and Shark? Austin, Texas
3/17/10 - SXSW: Austin All Week Austin
3/18/10 - All Your Friends Are Here @ Dominican Joe Outdoors Austin
3/18/10 - Home Slice Pizza and WOXY Present MXTS @ Home Slice Pizza Austin, Texas
3/18/10 - Pop Tarts Suck Toasted Showcase @ Creekside Lounge Austin, Texas
3/19/10 - Afternoon Show @ Agave Austin, Texas
3/19/10 - SXSW Official Showcase @ Galaxy Room Austin, Texas
3/20/10 - End of an Ear In-Store Austin, Texas
3/25/10 - The Foxhole Russellville, Arkansas
3/26/10 - Starlight House Little Rock, Arkansas
3/27/10 - The Groj Fayetteville, Arkansas
3/28/10 - The Booth Hotel Independence, Kansas
3/29/10 - The Bourbon Theater w/ Mynabirds and the Power Lincoln, Nebraska
3/30/10 - Public Space One Iowa City, Iowa
4/1/10 - 501 Club w/ Battle Napkin and Nice Purse Minneapolis, Minnesota
4/2/10 - Garibaldi's w/ the Fatty Acids and Faux Fir Milwaukee, Wisconsin
4/3/10 - The Cave @ Carleton College Northfield, Minnesota
4/7/10 - TBA Kalamazoo, Michigan
4/8/10 - TBA w/ Cloud Nothings Cleveland, Ohio
* * * * * * * * * * * *
MP3:"Vendela Vida" - Fantasy Memorial
Dinosaur Feathers on Myspace