The First Dog to Visit the Center of the Earth - Colossus Archosaur

The First Dog to Visit the Center of the Earth
Colossus Archosaur
(2010, self released?)
RIYL = Black Dice, Boards of Canada, Kemialliset Ystavat

Sorry for the lack of reviews lately. Well, not really. Sometimes I just get caught in musical decades that are not my own. I suppose I feel the impulse to apologize mostly because I am currently sitting on stacks of really amazing music that has been sent to me by some really hospitable and talented peoples and have yet to thank them publicly with a review. My first order of business: Colossus Archosaur. The First Dog to Visit the Center of the Earth (which I think you might agree is quite the moniker), sent me an email about his music way back in like May or June of 2009 and I only recently got around to listening to it, but when I did I was floored. I was all like, whoa, yeah, this stuff is exceptional. And weird. Which, of course, is part of why it is so exceptional. FDVCE seems to have been making musics for some time now, due to the back catalog of downloadable goods he has posted up on his MySpace page, and Colossus Archosaur feels the benefit of that experience. This is electronic music pitch shifted through a kaleidoscope. It’s really bizarre and alien feeling, but with an under current of earthly logic that allows it a lot more traction than your standard knob-twiddling bedroom experimentalism. As you may have noticed, I referenced Black Dice above as a like minded group, but just so we are clear, while they are closely related, FDVCE isn’t some Black Dice rip. Colossus Archosaur burrows into its own sense of oddness that is wonderful and self supporting. Besides, I like this a lot better than Black Dice’s Repo from last year (and you can see from my 2009 year end list that I really liked Repo, so…). Anyway, enough with the Black Diceness, this is a review of Colossus Archosaur. The thing that surprised me the most about this album is that, with a running time that makes the “colossus” tag feel like an understatement, FDVCE has created an record that is inventive, engaging and brilliant all the way through. Granted, you may have to take it in in two sittings (11 tracks, some refreshments, and then 11 more). And, the kicker, you can download it for free. So many generous peeps out there making such artistically gluttonous jams and then giving them away freely. Warms my heart. I just hope he can get some kick back sometime with a pressing of vinyl somewhere because this stuff is definately worthy of wax. I promise, this stuff is worth your time.

-Thistle

Colossus Archosaur on Mediafire
For more audio goodness hit up his Myspace here.