"Here comes the light Here comes the light Give me that light"
Another fortuitous find. I was listening to an internet radio station at a friend's house a couple of years ago when a track from this album came on. I had never heard it, or of Cloud Cult, but I was instantly taken with the sound coming from the speakers. Went home and got the album the next day. I spin it rather frequently today, naturally.
Cloud Cult is a long list of musicians, playing the usual four-piece instruments as well as a few others (trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, and French horn). Hailing from Middle-of-Nowhere (just kidding it's Minneapolis), Minnesota, the band is led by singer/songwriter/frontman Craig Minowa.
According to Wikipedia (clearly, the final word on all things music...) its genres are (as you've noticed, that's me in the brackets, and so I will continue the tradition for the moment): art rock(okay?), experimental(sure?), indie pop(don't stop reading!), and baroque pop(what is that exactly?). But as you can see, genres are pretty much meaningless to me, it's easiest to say this sounds like Cloud Cult. I don't think I listen to very much that would be similar to this band so therefore I won't compare, though I think it'd be a tough task anyway. This album is certainly more interesting than any generic pop or 'it all sounds the same indie music' I've heard lately as they have put more care and creativity into it. And with this being Cloud Cult's 9th album, they've clearly continued to hone and perfect their sound to make it something you might not hear too often.*slight disclaimer about this paragraph below
This collective of musicians come together to make a special kind of sound. Though driven by Minowa, this hardly has the markings of a one man band. Cloud Cult sounds like a combination of the usual guitar music with a small orchestra slotted in to give them something unique. The members use it well, and while you may think of a clusterfuck, it is definitely more akin to a collective of instruments that meet on common ground to create the music. In addition to the objects played on the album, the vocals are prominent. There are a couple of shorter, instrumental tracks, but other than that we hear the singer clearly throughout. Here, you feel like he is telling a story. The story lines don't appear to connect and it isn't always in the same tense / person (past vs. present and first vs. second person all exist here). Though it does appear to be chronological, giving the listener the sense of a journey. The lyrics are hopeful and self-reflective, however they are also ripe with wanting to run away and be free.
When listening, you almost want to follow the vocalist and be transported away from your problems, your obligations, your loose connections that you don't want to hold on to any more. You can put aside yourself for a moment and just let go while you listen. It is a good way to describe this album: a freeing one.
*I should say that I have nothing but respect for those musicians who are really trying, honestly, to make good music, however I continuously come across bands that sound the same to me. They aren't doing anything to further the sound of their influences, they aren't crafting their own sound, they are just generic or trying to ride the coattails of another interesting band. Note that this is my opinion.
Cloud Cult is a long list of musicians, playing the usual four-piece instruments as well as a few others (trumpet, trombone, violin, cello, and French horn). Hailing from Middle-of-Nowhere (just kidding it's Minneapolis), Minnesota, the band is led by singer/songwriter/frontman Craig Minowa.
According to Wikipedia (clearly, the final word on all things music...) its genres are (as you've noticed, that's me in the brackets, and so I will continue the tradition for the moment): art rock(okay?), experimental(sure?), indie pop(don't stop reading!), and baroque pop(what is that exactly?). But as you can see, genres are pretty much meaningless to me, it's easiest to say this sounds like Cloud Cult. I don't think I listen to very much that would be similar to this band so therefore I won't compare, though I think it'd be a tough task anyway. This album is certainly more interesting than any generic pop or 'it all sounds the same indie music' I've heard lately as they have put more care and creativity into it. And with this being Cloud Cult's 9th album, they've clearly continued to hone and perfect their sound to make it something you might not hear too often.*slight disclaimer about this paragraph below
This collective of musicians come together to make a special kind of sound. Though driven by Minowa, this hardly has the markings of a one man band. Cloud Cult sounds like a combination of the usual guitar music with a small orchestra slotted in to give them something unique. The members use it well, and while you may think of a clusterfuck, it is definitely more akin to a collective of instruments that meet on common ground to create the music. In addition to the objects played on the album, the vocals are prominent. There are a couple of shorter, instrumental tracks, but other than that we hear the singer clearly throughout. Here, you feel like he is telling a story. The story lines don't appear to connect and it isn't always in the same tense / person (past vs. present and first vs. second person all exist here). Though it does appear to be chronological, giving the listener the sense of a journey. The lyrics are hopeful and self-reflective, however they are also ripe with wanting to run away and be free.
When listening, you almost want to follow the vocalist and be transported away from your problems, your obligations, your loose connections that you don't want to hold on to any more. You can put aside yourself for a moment and just let go while you listen. It is a good way to describe this album: a freeing one.
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