Look, y’all. We’re no stranger to working with The Last Dodo. The solo project of French guitarist Dorian Pied specializes in lovely, delicate soundscapes driven by guitar and with an occasional edge. A good example of that edge is in the video we’re premiering today. It’s for the song “Wolves” and it comes from the band’s latest album Now We’re Leaving which just released August 24!
If you’ve been keeping up, or are just a fan of The Last Dodo, you surely know that Now We’re Leaving is a sort of culmination of the project’s work for the past three years. The first self-titled EP released in 2017, then we got We Found Him last year in 2018, now we have Now We’re Leaving. It completes a subtle narrative arc, told completely through guitar, drums, bass, and the atmosphere constructed by all of those together with a couple extras thrown in for texture. “Wolves” is in the center of this new album and it plays as such, forming a busy climax for the story as well as a strong melodic measure for us to chew on. You know, like a wolf would.
It’s only a matter of time before the ambient, natural leanings of the light guitar give way to a more rock-oriented feel. Elegance that begets energy, to put it shortly. The guitar lead here is stationed on top of a catchy rhythm riff, but soon morphs into a post-rock moan that’s complicated by other movements dancing around it like a storm. The rise-and-fall of the track’s tone keeps you on your toes through its seven-minute run time, clearly showing that this bird still has plenty of flight left in it… perhaps ironically, since dodos weren’t known to fly. The video lends itself well to the song’s musical theme of being encompassed by nature with Pied standing firmly in the foreground, showing off his fret work – a great staple of The Last Dodo.
Even with me listening to much of The Last Dodo‘s work and forming my own expectations of what I expect at this point, Pied finds room to make turns and jukes. Nothing here betrays the progressively-minded instrumentation that he’s built up for years, but rather colors in the lines of his work with vibrant and bold shades that you may not see immediately on his painter’s palette. I guess what I’m trying to say is, it’s a really good song!
The Last Dodo may have finished a story with Now We’re Leaving, but it’s doubtful that the band is done. Make sure to follow their Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Purchases of Now We’re Leaving and other albums can be made through Bandcamp!
