[Bandcamp] Chalk Dinosaur - Fear Or Love [Psych Rock]

What Will It Be For You?

Artist: Chalk Dinosaur

Release Date: September 11th, 2015

Genre: Electronic, Rock, Psychedelia

For Fans Of: Tame Impala, The Beatles, Keane

Recommended Tracks: Perception, Fear or Love, Soul Divide

I feel like I need to formerly apologize to John O'Hallaron for completely skimping out on properly reviewing his Caves release for some shoddy, unfunny post about me being late to class. It actually was a pretty outstanding psych rock album and it's also one of the least viewed articles on this blog. So Mr. O'Hallaron? I'm sorry. To make it up for you, I wrote a nice review of your debut album that my buddies over on the site I wrote for enjoyed and I am going to probably rec more of your albums here because your music is dope.

Fear or Love is O'Hallaron's latest EP, and is probably the final step to the third-eye singularity that John has slowly been inching towards ever since his first release in 2009. I mean, damn son, this album just reeks of 60s psychedelia down with the parliament smoke weed everyday wake up sheeple revivalism that the world has never seen before. And I love you for that, Mr. O'Hallaron. It's only three tracks long, and what a three tracks those are. 

Perception, a song about uh... "finding self awareness and being able to step outside of your emotions to observe your true motives." What this means, I cannot tell you, for I am only a sheeple. What I can tell you though, is that this album is an excellent journey exploring the early day of O'Hallaron's indie rock work with simplistic acoustic strumming and cutesy vocals; to the current state of Chalk Dinosaur with electronica interludes, reggae riffs, fuzzy vocoders, thick and smooth basslines, and psychedelia atmosphere. Fear or Love contains some subdued vocal mixing and twinkly keys that lead to an explosive "jazzy" finale, and finally Soul Divide with some more electronic/dance inspired percussion and psychedelic interludes that finally conclude with something resemblant of a trip-hop arrangement. 

It's an interesting three track journey that sounds like an accumulation of every trick and sound that O'Hallaron has found and developed since his early days in 2009, and it makes for an outstanding EP worth your time. 

Stream/Download/Buy Here: Bandcamp