Quality: 3.75 out of 5Trip-O-Meter: 4 out of 5
Yeah, that's a vintage Roland Juno 60 on the synthesizer, and that's more or less what you're going to hear on this EP. Plumbing straight for the heart of 80's synth pop, Chalk Dinosaur's release is sort of a lower-budget M83, although M83 could probably stand to shed some bling from
their sound anyway. Still, the wonky, meaty core of the analog electronic has made it through the recording process intact. This is far from the most original sounding music I've come across, but it's pretty good at hitting those pleasure center buttons.
The opening title track is the one that shows the most promise. It vibrates through a few different moods of a sci-fi Michael Mann film (no, just checked; dude never made a sci-fi for reals), and thus hits the nail on the widescreen synth extravaganza head. The other three tunes hang on a mid-tempo 1986 synth rocker vibe, although probably a touch informed by some of the more recent indie kids like Death Cab For Cutie. They chug on past for the most part, but it does nicely recreate a 15-minute FM radio set from the time that John Cusack could still do high-school flicks.
I'm hoping to see the group flesh out their compositional style on the track "Dawn" a little more, but this is still a fun EP to sink your teeth into. Pick up some Fresca and Bugles and write yourself some bad, depressing poetry alongside the tune.
Visit the Dinosaur:
http://chalkdinosaur.bandcamp.com/
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