A brontosaurus (derived from the Greek “thunder lizard”) suggests a heavy, plodding creature devoid of the more delicate sensibilities of modern society. For the band Brontosaurus, nothing could be further from the truth. Comprised of Nicholas Kelley and Nicholas Papaleo and hailing from Chicago, Brontosaurus is a heady mix of electronic and organic sounds, intricately woven to create a mini-symphony of varying moods and environments. This is sophisticated, elaborately constructed chamber pop, lush and powerful (as on “Safe to Surface,” from their upcoming album) but never plodding. There are also moments of refined beauty, such as “Dry Run,” a complex mix of melodic harmonies and bass, acoustic guitar and driving percussion.
Brontosaurus stepped out into the world in 2010, releasing their 6-track debut EP, Cold Comes To Claim (Plustapes) in 2011. Their musical pedigree includes indie rock and classical (Papaleo), prog rock and metal (Kelley). Unlike the 4-limbed dinosaur, these guys make use of 8 limbs to perform all the music themselves, though bassist Josh Miller is now on board to assist and perform with them live. They’ve played with bands like Maps & Atlases, Young Jesus and The Soil & The Sun, have done SXSW and recorded an Epitonic.com live session. Back in December, they released four songs from their upcoming full-length album, titled Our Animal Ways. It’s due out June 9, but you can pre-order now and enjoy the four songs while you wait.
For those of you in the Chicago area, you can catch Brontosaurus live on June 6 at The Burlington, where they’ll be performing with Campdogzz and Moritat. Keep an eye out for the new album next month and presumably many more shows!
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