Reviewed by Ian Phillips.
By Dinosaur Pile-Up, Warner Music 2019.
Dinosaur Pile-Up is an English alternative rock band from Leeds that formed in 2007 and Celebrity Mansions is their fourth release and the first that I’ve heard.
This album is almost a thrash/rock album. Indeed the first single is titled Thrash Metal Cassette.
The first bands that came to mind in trying to describe their sound are the Foo Fighters and possibly The Smashing Pumpkins with quite a bit of Nirvana thrown in.
They are definitely fans of grunge.
I really like their sound, it’s a bit retro and frantic, especially the track Pouring Gasoline, and their songs are really good.
They understand the importance of creating interest and variety by carefully organising their song structures to build and release tension.
There are passages of intense energy that give way to a solo instrument or voice before blasting back to full throttle energy.
In the song Round The Bend they break the track up with a cut to a cassette recorded demo section.
It’s an interesting technique that suits the mood.
The Dinosaur Pile-Up sound also owes more than a nod to the sixties and such bands as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.
They really are eclectic but it works well.
If the last few weeks are anything to go by there seems to be a resurgence of young bands getting back into rock.
I was really impressed with Joyous Wolf and their EP Place in Time, reviewed a couple of weeks ago, and now I can recommend Dinosaur Pile-Up.
It’s good to know that not all young people are completely consumed with hip-hop although the band do dabble with a bit of it in Back Foot, which only goes to show how eclectic they are.
