Dinosaur Feathers |
Control |
Dinosaur Feathers — Control (October 7th, 2014)Ξ THE BROOKLYN~BASED OUTFIT DINOSAUR FEATHERS’S THIRD STUDIO ALBUM “LOOK TO JANET JACKSON FOR SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE”. IT’S AS INTERESTING A LISTEN AS IT SOUNDS.
•♠• It’s clear from the very first listen to Dinosaur Feathers that these three have got TALENT (take note, America!). As far as other band comparisons, who knows, the band say their influenced by Talking Heads. So take their word for it. But take my word that Dinosaur Feathers are going to be pretty damn popular. After all, who doesn’t like multi~part harmonies? Everybody likes harmonies. Harmonies are like pizza!
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Album release: October 7, 2014
Record Label: Ernest Jenning
Duration: 39:28
Tracks:
01 Afternoon Sun 3:43
02 Zeitgeist 3:54
03 When You Coming Out 3:57
04 Fools 5:05
05 For Jonathan 4:44
06 Anything You Want 4:39
07 On My Mind 5:56
08 Impossible 3:29
09 Trip 4:01
•♠• Written by Jim Altieri / Michael Prince Coleman / Dinosaur Feathers / Jacob Fiss~Hobart
Credits:
•♠• Mark Allen~Piccolo Engineer
•♠• Jim Altieri Composer
•♠• Michael Prince Coleman Composer
•♠• Eli Crews Engineer
•♠• Dinosaur Feathers Composer
•♠• Alan Douches Mastering
•♠• Jacob Fiss~Hobart Composer
•♠• Naptimes Producer
Group Members:
•♠• Derek Zimmerman
•♠• Greg Sullo
•♠• Ryan Michael Kiley
•♠• Adam Fetcher
•♠• Nick Brooks
Review
BY BRICE EZELL, 1 October 2014
Ξ “Afternoon Sun”, the lead track off of Control, the third album by the Brooklyn group Dinosaur Feathers, opens with a percussive sound quite similar to the one that opens the Knife’s “We Share Our Mother’s Health.” From there, things only get progressively kookier, as one might expect from a band called Dinosaur Feathers. From the “All She Wants to Do is Dance” drums of “Zeitgeist” to the faux Motown vibes of “Anything You Want”, Control is a delightful cornucopia of the odd. After all, it’s not often that a group from Brooklyn — a place that seems incapable of not producing new music constantly — comprised of two white guys goes to “look to Janet Jackson for spiritual guidance”. But, then again, Dinosaur Feathers are anything but a normal group.
Ξ Frontman Greg Sullo says to PopMatters about the album, “After a couple failed attempts at writing and recording the way I thought I understood, I had to wipe the slate clean. This was a fresh start. I had also just moved into an apartment after three years on the road. I wanted to make music I could cook to or dance to, or ideally, dance to in the kitchen.”
Ξ http://www.popmatters.com/
Review by Fred Thomas; Score: ***½
Ξ Brooklyn band Dinosaur Feathers shifted from melodic avant psychedelia on their 2010 debut, Fantasy Memorial, to more straightforward, harmony~heavy pop on the 2012 follow~up, Whistle Tips. The move from their ethnocentric indie psych debut to more carefree pop territory stripped away some of their seriousness and left their sophomore album feeling lighter and more fun. A few years down the road, Dinosaur Feathers vocalist Greg Sullo found himself falling deep into a phase of being obsessed with ‘80s soul and R&B, in particularly the enormous (if dated) pop production of Janet Jackson. Control, the band’s third album and culmination of the months Sullo spent immersed in ‘80s FM soul sounds, finds the band evolving yet again, and sounding exponentially more fun than ever before. There are still remnants of their early experimental edge, but almost completely gone are their flirtations with Brazilian rhythms and Beach Boys~worshiping harmonies. Instead of Brian Wilson, Sullo has turned to Prince’s manic falsetto for vocal inspiration and tapped into equal parts Janet Jackson and Joe Jackson on glossy soul~inflected pop tracks like “Anything You Want.” Standout track “Zeitgeist” is the flagship of the album, with enormous gated drums that would sound at home on a Paula Abdul dance track and tight, shiny horn sections driving home the song’s bounding chorus. “When You Coming Out” saunters along as well, vintage drum machines and brilliant harmony vocals leaving just enough space for cool sax solos and slinky guitar lines. “Impossible” juxtaposes a bassline remarkably akin to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with fuzzy guitars and cloudy atmospherics, calling back on Dinosaur Feathers’ earlier catalog when they had more in common with contemporaries like Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors than the Top 40 charts of the summer of 1987. Endlessly catchy and just a little bit strange, Control is a fun ride that aims to make each of its nine cuts a single~worthy production. Some tracks rank higher than others, but overall, the album delivers a multicolored reimagining of ‘80s radio soul as Dinosaur Feathers take us on an unexpected escapade with their brilliantly engineered songs.
Artist Biography by Chrysta Cherrie
•♠• Fantasy Memorial Brooklyn~based indie pop purveyors Dinosaur Feathers synthesize African, Brazilian, and retro~pop influences into their own sunshine~soaked sonics. The project began in summer 2008 as a solo outing for singer/guitarist/drum machine player Greg Sullo to reimagine the sounds of the Beatles and Os Mutantes with modern technology, but grew as keyboardist/singer (and Sullo’s college a cappella bandmate) Derek Zimmerman offered to serve as harmony vocalist, and the group was rounded out with bassist Adam Fetcher (who was later replaced with Ryan Michael Kiley). Dinosaur Feathers slowly built their network and fan base and made their recorded debut in 2009 with the Family Records single Know Your Own Strength, followed that August by the self~released Early Morning Risers EP, which they offered for free on their website. Its layered vocals, warm guitar, and globally flavored rhythms ~ along with a rigorous performance schedule around New York ~ put the band on the map and earned them “hardest working band in Brooklyn” honors from earfarm.com. Their self~released first full~length, Fantasy Memorial, arrived the following March as the band embarked on their first U.S. tour and performed at the SXSW, CMJ, Sasquatch!, and Treefort music festivals. Later in the year, Dinosaur Feathers refreshed their sound with the addition of live drummer Nick Brooks, and the band traveled to Oakland the following year to record their sophomore album with Eli Crews (Deerhoof, tUnE~yArDs, Thao and Mirah). The band started 2012 on a sour note as their equipment was stolen, but a benefit mixtape helped soften the blow. That April, follow~up LP Whistle Tips arrived on the Ernest Jenning Record Co. label. Third album Control materialized in late 2014, its soulful pop tunes inspired directly by a phase of adoration and awe for Janet Jackson.
Ξ http://www.allmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurFeathers/
Blog: http://dinosaurfeathersmusic.blogspot.com/
•♠••♠•_________________________________________________•♠••♠•
Dinosaur Feathers |
Control |
Dinosaur Feathers — Control (October 7th, 2014)Ξ THE BROOKLYN~BASED OUTFIT DINOSAUR FEATHERS’S THIRD STUDIO ALBUM “LOOK TO JANET JACKSON FOR SPIRITUAL GUIDANCE”. IT’S AS INTERESTING A LISTEN AS IT SOUNDS.
•♠• It’s clear from the very first listen to Dinosaur Feathers that these three have got TALENT (take note, America!). As far as other band comparisons, who knows, the band say their influenced by Talking Heads. So take their word for it. But take my word that Dinosaur Feathers are going to be pretty damn popular. After all, who doesn’t like multi~part harmonies? Everybody likes harmonies. Harmonies are like pizza!
Location: Brooklyn, New York
Album release: October 7, 2014
Record Label: Ernest Jenning
Duration: 39:28
Tracks:
01 Afternoon Sun 3:43
02 Zeitgeist 3:54
03 When You Coming Out 3:57
04 Fools 5:05
05 For Jonathan 4:44
06 Anything You Want 4:39
07 On My Mind 5:56
08 Impossible 3:29
09 Trip 4:01
•♠• Written by Jim Altieri / Michael Prince Coleman / Dinosaur Feathers / Jacob Fiss~Hobart
Credits:
•♠• Mark Allen~Piccolo Engineer
•♠• Jim Altieri Composer
•♠• Michael Prince Coleman Composer
•♠• Eli Crews Engineer
•♠• Dinosaur Feathers Composer
•♠• Alan Douches Mastering
•♠• Jacob Fiss~Hobart Composer
•♠• Naptimes Producer
Group Members:
•♠• Derek Zimmerman
•♠• Greg Sullo
•♠• Ryan Michael Kiley
•♠• Adam Fetcher
•♠• Nick Brooks
Review
BY BRICE EZELL, 1 October 2014
Ξ “Afternoon Sun”, the lead track off of Control, the third album by the Brooklyn group Dinosaur Feathers, opens with a percussive sound quite similar to the one that opens the Knife’s “We Share Our Mother’s Health.” From there, things only get progressively kookier, as one might expect from a band called Dinosaur Feathers. From the “All She Wants to Do is Dance” drums of “Zeitgeist” to the faux Motown vibes of “Anything You Want”, Control is a delightful cornucopia of the odd. After all, it’s not often that a group from Brooklyn — a place that seems incapable of not producing new music constantly — comprised of two white guys goes to “look to Janet Jackson for spiritual guidance”. But, then again, Dinosaur Feathers are anything but a normal group.
Ξ Frontman Greg Sullo says to PopMatters about the album, “After a couple failed attempts at writing and recording the way I thought I understood, I had to wipe the slate clean. This was a fresh start. I had also just moved into an apartment after three years on the road. I wanted to make music I could cook to or dance to, or ideally, dance to in the kitchen.”
Ξ http://www.popmatters.com/
Review by Fred Thomas; Score: ***½
Ξ Brooklyn band Dinosaur Feathers shifted from melodic avant psychedelia on their 2010 debut, Fantasy Memorial, to more straightforward, harmony~heavy pop on the 2012 follow~up, Whistle Tips. The move from their ethnocentric indie psych debut to more carefree pop territory stripped away some of their seriousness and left their sophomore album feeling lighter and more fun. A few years down the road, Dinosaur Feathers vocalist Greg Sullo found himself falling deep into a phase of being obsessed with ‘80s soul and R&B, in particularly the enormous (if dated) pop production of Janet Jackson. Control, the band’s third album and culmination of the months Sullo spent immersed in ‘80s FM soul sounds, finds the band evolving yet again, and sounding exponentially more fun than ever before. There are still remnants of their early experimental edge, but almost completely gone are their flirtations with Brazilian rhythms and Beach Boys~worshiping harmonies. Instead of Brian Wilson, Sullo has turned to Prince’s manic falsetto for vocal inspiration and tapped into equal parts Janet Jackson and Joe Jackson on glossy soul~inflected pop tracks like “Anything You Want.” Standout track “Zeitgeist” is the flagship of the album, with enormous gated drums that would sound at home on a Paula Abdul dance track and tight, shiny horn sections driving home the song’s bounding chorus. “When You Coming Out” saunters along as well, vintage drum machines and brilliant harmony vocals leaving just enough space for cool sax solos and slinky guitar lines. “Impossible” juxtaposes a bassline remarkably akin to Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” with fuzzy guitars and cloudy atmospherics, calling back on Dinosaur Feathers’ earlier catalog when they had more in common with contemporaries like Animal Collective and Dirty Projectors than the Top 40 charts of the summer of 1987. Endlessly catchy and just a little bit strange, Control is a fun ride that aims to make each of its nine cuts a single~worthy production. Some tracks rank higher than others, but overall, the album delivers a multicolored reimagining of ‘80s radio soul as Dinosaur Feathers take us on an unexpected escapade with their brilliantly engineered songs.
Artist Biography by Chrysta Cherrie
•♠• Fantasy Memorial Brooklyn~based indie pop purveyors Dinosaur Feathers synthesize African, Brazilian, and retro~pop influences into their own sunshine~soaked sonics. The project began in summer 2008 as a solo outing for singer/guitarist/drum machine player Greg Sullo to reimagine the sounds of the Beatles and Os Mutantes with modern technology, but grew as keyboardist/singer (and Sullo’s college a cappella bandmate) Derek Zimmerman offered to serve as harmony vocalist, and the group was rounded out with bassist Adam Fetcher (who was later replaced with Ryan Michael Kiley). Dinosaur Feathers slowly built their network and fan base and made their recorded debut in 2009 with the Family Records single Know Your Own Strength, followed that August by the self~released Early Morning Risers EP, which they offered for free on their website. Its layered vocals, warm guitar, and globally flavored rhythms ~ along with a rigorous performance schedule around New York ~ put the band on the map and earned them “hardest working band in Brooklyn” honors from earfarm.com. Their self~released first full~length, Fantasy Memorial, arrived the following March as the band embarked on their first U.S. tour and performed at the SXSW, CMJ, Sasquatch!, and Treefort music festivals. Later in the year, Dinosaur Feathers refreshed their sound with the addition of live drummer Nick Brooks, and the band traveled to Oakland the following year to record their sophomore album with Eli Crews (Deerhoof, tUnE~yArDs, Thao and Mirah). The band started 2012 on a sour note as their equipment was stolen, but a benefit mixtape helped soften the blow. That April, follow~up LP Whistle Tips arrived on the Ernest Jenning Record Co. label. Third album Control materialized in late 2014, its soulful pop tunes inspired directly by a phase of adoration and awe for Janet Jackson.
Ξ http://www.allmusic.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/DinosaurFeathers/
Blog: http://dinosaurfeathersmusic.blogspot.com/
•♠••♠•_________________________________________________•♠••♠•