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def.fo- ‘Music for Dinosaurs’

Liverpool trip hop artist def.fo, aka Tom Powell, has shared his ambitious, futuristic concept album Music For Dinosaurs following the success of his debut album Eternity out last year. His second album is such a celestial trip, teleporting the listener into a howling, dystopian nightmare set on Mars, where a troubled civilisation teeters on the sharpened edge of extinction. Time runs short, and in a breathless bid for survival, the inhabitants must embark on a daring interstellar quest, ultimately discovering a hope they can cling to on their bright new Eden- planet Earth. You can absolutely hear this in the widescreen production and arc of this boundless album as they cross musical and lyrical terrains. It should not go under the radar as it’s a multi-sensory work of art, so get those headphones on and really listen.

Opening track ‘Let it Go‘ sets the scene for a truly immersive soundscape where a bed of intense, dystopian, electronic polyphonic riffs dance under the rich resonant voice of the omnipotent narrator, like a benevolent Big Brother, guiding the listener through the darkness in tracks as he says, “Don’t carry the weight of the world” enforcing the cyclical mantra “Never gonna stop, staying on top’” giving hope like an anchoring lighthouse in the dark, rich with reassurance and breathless harmonies.

Mind can you Hear me?’ has smoky, after-party, sleek, jazzy vibes as the narrator asks whether his personified mind can hear. There’s an authenticity and raw internal honesty here. Gospel harmonies weave through whip-smart existential reflections on Solipsism while a slinky funky baseline keeps the track grounded while soaring ecclesiastical harmonies elevate the track to divine heights.

Out of This World” creates a whole extra-terrestrial soundscape taking us on a celestial journey through the beating heart of the cosmos, exploring the challenges of isolation and the wide-eyed wonder of space. With sonorous vocals, lush, ethereal harmonies glide through a hazy, cascading wall of sound, spellbinding and taking listeners on a kaleidoscopic, sonic trip. It’s a widescreen, immersive track that will have you floating in outer space. def.fo is constantly pushing boundaries.

The audio-panning in this song needs to be heard through headphones. It’s truly dizzying and disorientating in the best possible sense, dropping you right into outer space with a the complex multi- faceted layers of sounds painting another universe with its breath-taking sonic palette making you feel as if you are floating in space. It’s almost as if the sonics are circling your brain. The craft is something that George Harrison would be proud of. It’s like a space-age WonderWall Music. Psychedelic swirls, cascading ostinato riffs and polyphonic soundscapes take you to another dimension.

The track shifts slowly out of a sparse darkness, with an implied sense of threat under its breath and a mesmerising, addictive blend of trip-hop rhythm, steeped in moody beats and the shimmering soundscape of the cosmos, we’re uplifted once more by the sweet hook in a chorus of harmonic ethereal voices.

The song’s atmospheric production gives open space and time to def.fo’s honest lyrics of hope. This is a masterclass in music. Def.fo’s expertise honed in his day job, playing bass for Michael Head and the Red Elastic Band, is clearly evident in his solo work too, and the production is world class. Music for Dinosaurs is co-produced by def.fo and Steve Powell, (noted for his work with artists such as John Power (The La’s, Cast)The Stairs, and Michael Head (Shack, The Pale Fountains) to name but a few and the craft and expertise is clear in this album.

Tracks like ‘Mayday’ have similar dystopian space-age allusions with chunky T. Rex/Marc Bolan– esque melodies and vibes interspersed with distant ‘Mayday’ soundbites while, ‘The Bright Light’ track pairs an intense electro beat and sirens with an ‘end of the world- style bulletin asking ‘Who Put the coalmine in the canary?” with an electronic voice saying ‘Your evolution has been cancelled. ‘ It’s dystopian, smart, impressionistic and powerful in its craft.

Celestial upbeat riffs blossom in the lush Beatles-like vibes of ‘The Sun Has Gone.‘ Flower power reigns supreme here, reflecting the expertly -crafted story arc of this album, like a new world emerging after the darkness. Acoustic strings soar and dance between steady percussion and blossoming, buoyant lyrical harmonies. ‘Exile to Eden‘ pairs birdsong with poetic spoken word, blossoming harmonies and the pastoral imagery of ‘Mother Eden’ who healed souls returning home. It features guest appearances by Gregory David Roberts, author of multi-million bestseller epic Shantaram

‘This New World’ blends a reflective technicolour soundscape with rippling riffs as he sings, “As you’re taking your first breath into a new world I will take you home…. You are not alone….” Resonant vocals swirl into stunning harmonies, dancing like dark lullabies sung by a father to a child. It’s a touching link to the narrative of the record.

We are Aliens’ goes back into Si Fi Territory as they sing of ‘Taking a Trip to the Other side.’ The kaleidoscopic riffs are like a tie-dye trip to another dimension, floating like smoke rings up to space. ‘I’m Coming Up’ Is a shimmering timeless jangling wave of rippling, psychedelic gold.The layering of harmonies with the the cool staccato riffs and cinematic strings are sublime and one of the highlights of the album for me. It’s where his unique signature ‘Psychedelicfolkhop’ genre seems to sparkle.

The whole album is like an indie film that we all want to watch. The final song ‘Pebbles to Boulders‘ peaks like the closing credits of a triumphant, Psychedelic Western film laced with a stunningly broad and eclectic sonic palette of influences, pondering the most important aspects of existence.

This is a widescreen boundless album that traverses so many musical terrains, that could clash in anyone else’s hands, but in def.fo’s album flow and complement each other perfectly. By the end of the album, you have been from the internal recesses of the mind to outer space, to being exiled to Eden, to evolution being cancelled then into the new new world with the safe positive and reassuring voice of def.fo to galloping us into the future with hope. It’s a boundary-pushing work of art in the truest sense of the word, whilst still bursting with melodic hooks and universal truths. This album both raises and widens the bar. It’s expansive and creative and the product of a master craftsman. The production is mind-bending in places- taking you into another universe. It’s like a Gen Z, Space Age version of George Harrison’s Wonderwall Music only you travel to Mars instead of South Asia in this album. It broadens horizons and pushes boundaries creating a genre-stretching, celestial musical tapestry that’s still flowing with radio-ready hooks. So stick it on and take that trip!

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God is in the TV is an online music and culture fanzine founded in Cardiff by the editor Bill Cummings in 2003. GIITTV Bill has developed the site with the aid of a team of sub-editors and writers from across Britain, covering a wide range of music from unsigned and independent artists to major releases.