TLOBF Loves… The Last Dinosaur

Formed in late 2006 The Last Dinosaur started out as a project between two friends, Jamie Cameron and Luke Hayden. Brought together by a mutual love of Peep Show, crisps, late nights and kids television programs -surely the vital foundation for any longterm friendship? One evening (possibly after one too many episodes of Peep Show), the pair for no other reason than that they were a little bit bored and felt a tad creative layed down the first fruits of what would be later known as ‘The First Last Dinosaur Song’. A four minute lo-fi jam (and I hate to use the word ‘jam’) that glides over a backdrop of handclaps, piano, organ, saxaphone and what only sounds like a chest of drawers being hit by a wooden spoon – Jesus, I haven’t done a very good job at explaining that have I? It kind of sounds like something from The Bees debut album if you had to pin a tag on it. I have to admit though, ‘The First Last Dinosaur Song’ isn’t a great introduction to the band, it’s more of a mere experiment, simply a catalyst for what was to follow. According to Cameron; “a creative flood gate opened and we started recording more, waiting until it was dark and just experimenting, seeing what happened, playing whatever our fingers told us to”. The only way is up, so they say.

Excited, and enjoying the freedom of recording whatever came into their heads, a name was decided upon; The Last Dinosaur. Why on Gods earth? I hear you cry. Well, as I previously mentioned, the lads are keen fans of kids tv shows – remember (the genius) Denver The Last Dinosaur? There’s your answer. Count your lucky stars they didnt settle on Teddy Ruxpin or Poddington Peas (though the latter did have a kick ass theme tune).The name also draws on a feeling that Jamie Cameron has always been particularly fascinated with; the freedom and innocence of childhood. Perhaps it was this freedom that the pair were trying to recreate when laying down those first songs? Regardless, as the nightly encounters continued the songs became more confident. Still totally experimental and free flowing but with an added sense of flair and grace, light and shade. ‘Every Second Is A Second Chance’ is a sheer delight. The six minute track builds from ambient noise, screeching violins and flecks of guitar into something that can only be decribed as a transcendental mood piece. As the added thud of drums and vocal loops evolve and get stronger and stronger, you can almost feel the pairs excitment as the song explodes at the four and a half minute mark into something that wouldnt be out of place on a Sigur Ros record. The mood and production of ‘Every Second…’ in a way sets the tone for the rest of The Last Dinosaurs material and production ethic. It’s all warm acoustics, muted drums, hushed vocals, layered harmonies with a sense of a ‘kitchen sink’ approach to instrumentation. The beautiful, and by far their strongest track to date ‘Home’ takes all of these elements and steps them up a gear. Another lengthy song, it starts off with a gentle finger picked acoustic and sparse piano. “This house will always be home to me / Regardless of where I lay my feet. It’s home” sings Cameron, as layers are subtley added one by one but nothing sounds unwelcome or out of place. Everything just feels, well, at home. Like it’s meant to be there.

Going back to the childhood references, the more you listen to The Last Dinosaur, the more you understand where they are coming from. Reading up on their band name, and discovering that, they openly invite their fans to draw them pictures of dinosaurs to post on their myspace page (check them out, some of them are really fantastic!) you could mistakingly reach the conclusion that they are too twee for their own good. That really isn’t the case, in fact, twee is about as far away a description as you could give. Cameron and Hayden’s obsession with childhood only adds to the wonder of the music they make together. The experimentation, the naivety, the unknown. Their songs sound as if they are stepping out into the woods, blindfolded, not knowing what to expect – then recording their experiences onto a multitrack tape. Sometimes the experiences are quietly disturbing; see ‘The Greatest Film Ever Made’, others simply dreamlike sketches, moments in time ‘Gusts Of WInd Blowing In Different Directions’. This is not to say that The Last Dinosaur don’t know how to have a good time, their ‘off the cuff’ cover of Michael Jackson’s ‘Beat It’ with added vocals from fellow Cambridge resident Jenny Hall is sheer class.

The band are currently hard at work fleshing out their sound from a two piece to a six piece. Writing more songs, adding more vocals, harmonies and instruments to the ten songs already recorded in demo form. The Last Dinosaur sound is a work in progress and interestingly, Cameron tells me that the tracks currently recorded are “sort of like the transition between Feel Good Lost and You Forgot It In People by Broken Social Scene, one sets the scene and then the next refines everything and adds more colour”. I for one can’t wait to listen to the finished results.

Keep your eyes well and truly peeled for these guys. It seems something very, very special is afoot.

mp3:> The Last Dinosaur – Home
mp3:> The Last Dinosaur – Every Second Is A Second Chance
mp3:> The Last Dinosaur – Beat It (Michael Jackson cover)
video: > The Last Dinosaur – Gusts Of Wind Blowing in Different Directions