For better or worse, I spent most of my day staying in sick. It was one of those awful colds where you can't do much more then lay down and even that's a chore. At one point, I ended up watching my copy of
Pee-Wee's Big Adventure.
I got to the scene where Simone's boyfriend Andy chases Pee-Wee around those giant dinosaurs (see the movie, it's classic) and it reminded me of this band,
The Last Dinosaur. They're a duo from the UK who I
blogged about almost three years ago (WHOA).
Back then, I only had one track from the band, "Home," but I loved it as much as I could a full-length. I wondered what happened to those guys and a quick Googling revealed an album released this past February on
Rough Trade,
Hooray! For Happiness. Talk about musical serendipity.
I've been listening to the record all day and just like "Home," every track is a sprawling, lo-fi, beautiful mess. From what I can tell, most of the songs on
Happiness are just the band's mastered demos, which means the LP is pretty much two friends playing whatever gentle, mostly-instrumental tunes come to mind in their bedrooms.
"The Last Dinosaur is Jamie Cameron and Luke Hayden," says the band's Myspace. "They stay up late at night and record whatever happens on a multi-track recorder and a few microphones."
And that's what this collection of songs sound like. The tracks meander, ebb, and flow, seemingly going nowhere before bursting with emotion. The band is always patient, always taking their time, filling space with a collage of instruments before arriving at drum-filled climaxes. Maybe it's the cold medicine, but I'm in love with this record, slack edges and all.
I also really want to visit the
Cabazon Dinosaurs.
Right-Click + Save Link As:
Home - The Last Dinosaur
Fool - The Last Dinosaur
Maps - The Last Dinosaur
Every Second Is a Second Chance - The Last Dinosaur
The Song Playing at the End of the Film of My Life - The Last Dinosaur
