This is what happens when you take a songwriter with a New York state of mind into a wooded Pennsylvanian retreat.
You don't have to live in the Big Apple or be a fan of campfire tunes to enjoy this record. The big, crisp sound and foregrounded vocals should be enough to win you over. There's something so direct and immediate about these tracks that makes them genuinely uplifting.
Part cowboy, part hipster, Don Dilego is a man who likes concept albums even when the theme remains obscure to his listeners. The title here is taken from an exhibit in NYC's Natural History museum and, for reasons best known to himself, it struck a chord and got him up and running. It shows that he is clearly more interested in singalong pop with big choruses than experimental rock.
Previously he has written a movie soundtrack (Ranchero) as well as being producer and co-writer with/for Jesse Malin. He's also put out some EPs but this feels like his most ambitious solo outing even though the total playing time is less than 40 minutes.
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It kicks off with Karma King and a droning Eastern vibe that echoes the kind of madcap pop tune Animal Collective might have made.
On other nine tracks banjos, brass, piano, organ and pedal steel feed into the heady mix. You don't need to deconstruct Drive Like Pirates to know it's a perfect party number and you can imagine the rousing gospel-like chants on The West Side Oak being hollered defiantly into the wilderness.
I suspect Dilego had a blast making this album and the good news is that he manages to communicate his intelligence, enthusiasm and sheer sense of fun.
Don Dilego's website
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