Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs - Trouble
Following a handful of remixes of pop songs, this son of an Oxford choir conductor is now ready to stand on his own two feet, and, odd fashion choices aside, I'm a little stretched as to identify something uniquely interesting about the man.
His debut opens with a song called 'Promises', and it's a bleak opener. Cold, brisk and shallow it attempts some dewy atmospheric sequences but never fully paints an inviting picture - instead sounding like the most awkward and unsatisfying carnival you'll ever attend. As someone who's released an EP through Hot Chip member Joe Goddard's label, the sounds to 'Trouble' should sound somewhat familiar. A very slick and fun beat, it's far more reflective of the record as a whole than its disappointing opener. From this confidence booster, we get 'Shimmer', a chirpy, and trippy in its lazy vocals, track that if anything is perfectly poised for underground discos and the sort. Much subtler and more rewarding though are 'Household Goods' and 'Your Love'; the former disastrous chat-up lines ("forgive me if I'm wrong, but you look shit all alone") over a searing, excellent dance tune, the latter a simple rave-inspired triumph - right down to the soulful guest vocal.
The nonchalance that finds its way into his lyrics sadly tip over into the music on 'You Need Me On My Own', a song violently in need of a shake into consciousness. Thus the carnival is resumed with 'Panpipes'' irreverent rhythm and percussions, before focussing more directly in 'Garden'. Very much one of the album's earlier hype singles, it comes across quite rigid in comparison to other less committed tracks here, but benefits from a stronger melody. Though if that's the pop single then 'Solo' is admittedly the album's experimental fan favourite, full of quirky little beeps and scratches and all the while retaining a slight, repetitive tune. His dexterity in flipping between dance and odder, increasingly alienating influences gives the album a solipsistic feel, and further propagates the idea that this is completely unique. The shouted "feet don't fail me now!"s inbetween otherwise mainstream and scorching synths on 'Tapes & Money' only proves this.
It's the moments of attempted serenity and isolation that are the most frustrating about the record, though, and all of its sunkissed moments and euphoric house influences make for a challenging listen. Such influences are brought up to date on the pulsating and exciting 'American Dream Part II', but it almost feels showy and fails to connect (with me, at least). More meandering still is 'Closer' and its accompanying skipped vocal effects, but it just doesn't engage me. It's not particularly soulful or revealing, and the tune is fairly run of the mill. Yet more frustrating in its pointlessness is the brief and fleeting 'Fair', a distorted and minimal shrug. We're finally treated to a stripped bare vocal on closer 'Stronger', and equipped with a much more engaging beat, the album bows out with something of a coup.
I just strongly doubt that in 4 or 5 years time people will look back on electronic/indie music and think "yes, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs was excellent". Some, like myself, will remember with a shrug the silly nomenclature and the costumes, but for every fine moment of fun and intrigue there's a moment of blandness and boredom that I feel listening to this. That's a shame, because the highlights are very much worth attention. Maybe it's the whole British post-punk/electronica revival popularised by The xx that's to blame - charisma is very much thrown out of the window and, with far inferior songs to that Mercury winning album, the result is disappointing.
Rating: 6/10
Highlights: Household Goods, Your Love, Tapes & Money, Stronger, Trouble
Avoid: You Need Me On My Own, Promises, Closer, Fair
Artwork Watch: I'd probably look that miserable if I'd fallen head-first into a chemistry laboratory too.
For fans of: Hot Chip, Kindness, Friendly Fires
Up next: Cheryl
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