Dinosaur Feathers
Fantasy Memorial
Self-released
March 5
By Melissa Traynor
The first bunch of labels I saw for this album included “1950s/ ’60s pop” and bossa nova, which are accurate to a point if you only consider that the album could have been pop-inspired. Dinosaur Feathers produces a beautiful record, regardless of the classification. It’s not particularly weighty, but rather a nice recovery just in time for summer music.
I’d love to say that it’s “easy-listening,” but am afraid that the description would only heap on more unfair labels. Fantasy Memorial really is easy to listen to, however. The Brooklyn-based Dinosaur Feathers have put together an impressive blend of airy tunes that kind of slip into the background. It takes practically nothing to make it through the whole album without even knowing that it happened (almost to a fault).
This is not to say that their songs carry with them no depth. The track “Crossing the Cannon,” which has a kind of repetitive jam format, brings a lot to the table in terms of vocals, an array of Animal Collective-like background noises and delicate guitar pickings. There seems to be only really two major chords driving the whole song – and maybe even two or three sentences in repetition – but it’s simple and it works. Surprisingly, it makes for a full-sounding song. The only real breaks in the song come from small guitar refrains, and musing, but they slip back into the same two chords. Similarly, “Family Waves” does this with its choruses.
Title track “Fantasy Memorial” evokes Dirty Projects guitar picking precision and just enough quick changes in direction to keep it interesting. Again, vocals really make the song. Harmonies rise and fall with each lyric, but they reach so far in each dramatic switch that brings listeners along the sweeping vocal range. I wouldn’t say the vocals are necessarily the most impressive, but the arrangement is strong enough to cover up any weaknesses.
Great timing - Fantasy Memorial is definitely warm weather music. Or indoor music in anticipation. It’s a a good collection of spring weather transition tracks – not quite there yet, but light enough to carry us into the summer.
