The Last Dinosaur release their new LP, Wholeness, via Phases Records. This release comes three years after the critically acclaimed record The Nothing, which earned plaudits for songwriter Jamie Cameron’s highly emotional and deeply personal subject matter and his ability to traverse a various styles and genres. Whilst the new album remains incredibly poignant, it’s much more dynamically complex in its instrumentation and composition, delving into more expansive, ruminative and experimental territory...

Claimed to be an album, this 7 track (25 min, 57 sec) release has more in common with an EP than it does a full blown LP. Styles here cross jazz-inflected electronic sections, neo-classical movements, orchestral cinematic atmospherics, poetic verses, and the use of found sounds – including the sound of Jamie’s walk home through London’s Clissold Park and typewriter keys...

The diversity on display here is also the album's highlight or weak point, depending on your point of view. Personally, I felt that for such a short run time, shoehorning as many musical styles into such a small space felt a little forced.

Not a release I really warmed to, but others may enjoy the diversity on offer.

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Nick Smithson