In the Land of Lost Monsters
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In the Land of Lost Monsters is an EP by Gatsbys American Dream released in 2004. After their second release Ribbons and Sugar, the band grew rapidly in popularity with their fans, but not with record labels. This EP was essentially in response to the hounding they received from record labels after their second release, to write more conventional songs with a verse-chorus-verse structure.
"The Dragon of Pendor" is a reference to Ursula K. Le Guin's novel A Wizard of Earthsea.
Digital release
In November 2007, the band put the album up for free download on Snakes & Suits, a clothing company and record label.[1] The digital release featured 4 remixed tracks: "Yes, This Is About You," "A Conversation With The Devil," "You Stole My Story," and "The Dragon of Pendor."
Along with the album, guitarist Bobby Darling wrote a letter addressing their fans' initial confusion over the EP's content and the reaction their music received from many in the music business:
To say that people were confused by the original release of In The Land of Lost Monsters would be an understatement. I remember once when we were on tour, the drummer of one of the opening bands told me that he was a big fan of our band. Oh except for when we put out that dinosaur EP. But I think in hindsight, and in the light of the two records we released after it, In The Land of Lost Monsters makes a lot of sense. You don’t get from Ribbons and Sugar to Volcano without the EP in between. We felt like we were stuck in a box, and we were desperate to break out of it. I think the EP was a turning point for our band. It was a mission statement that guided us through the writing of Volcano and our self-titled release. I remember we showcased for a record label once. The guy who ran the label sat on a couch and watched us play, and after we finished he said that no label in their right mind would sign us because we didn’t have choruses in our songs. I don’t know if he expected us to thank him for the words of wisdom. I think I was just irritated. I’m still irritated. And not because he was a condescending shit head. I’m irritated because he was right. We were never going to fit into this industry. We were never going to sell a lot of records. For the most part, this business rewards you for conforming, it encourages mediocrity, and it tries to stamp out creative thought. And what we were making was just art, all along. So we were stomping mad. We got tired later, but first we were mad. And I think that’s where In The Land of Lost Monsters came from. I think at the end of the day we just wanted to say, “Okay, we understand that this is the way the industry works. But it’s fucking stupid. So fuck you.” So we said it with an EP.[2]
Track listing
- "Yes, This Is About You"
- "A Conversation with the Devil"
- "I Smell an Agenda"
- "You Stole My Story"
- "Red, Red, Blue"
- "The Badlands"
- "The Dragon of Pendor"
Personnel
- Nic Newsham - vocals
- Bobby Darling - guitar, vocals
- Kirk Huffman - bass, vocals
- Rudy Gajadhar - drums
Credits
- Casey Bates - producer, engineer, additional instrumentation
- Tom Pfaeffle - engineer, mixer
- Emily Driskill - photos
- Melissa Wdowiak - painting
- Bobby Darling - artwork
- Johnny Minardi - a&r
References
- ^ Snakes & Suits. Via The Internet Archive, last captured September 6, 2009.
- ^ "Free Gatsbys American Dream EP Download. Absolutepunk.net. November 26, 2007.