Clouds - We Are Above You
Rating
RIYL
TorcheBlack Flag
Melvins
Harvey Milk
Tracklist
1. Empires in Basements2. Feed the Horse
3. The Bad Seat
4. Heisenberg Says
5. Motion of the Ocean
6. Slow Day
7. Horrification
8. Year Zero
9. Glass House Rocks
10. Playing Dark
11. Garbage In Garbage Out
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Clouds are part of the great Cave In lineage which has been expanding exponentially over the years. Former Cave In guitarist Adam McGrath and crew have carved themselves out a nice little niche with Clouds. The band has a solid foundation of rock and roll which they continually build upon by injecting elements of psychadelia, punk, and stoner metal. This isn’t some sloppy genre-leaping side project. It actually presents itself as a good old fashioned rock band and one that is quite capable on its own. The band may borrow from other genres but they do so in a nonchalant and cohesive manner resulting in an impressive adrenaline filled album.
Clouds have progressed amicably since Legendary Demo. Where that album was rough and disorganized, We Are Above You shows the band streamlining their formula into a solid rock and roll javelin ready to pierce the ears of their listeners. This move illustrates that the group is ready to brush off the notion that they are a side project and prove that they are a force to be reckoned with. The pounding angular drums that drive the opening track, “Empires in Basements”, resemble a call to war challenging the aural limits of the genre and leading the guitars into a fierce battle against stagnant music.
The songwriting favors phasers and fuzz pedals but the band won’t be reduced to a one dimensional stoner rock group. Their pension for pushing themselves had resulted in some surprisingly diverse songwriting as displayed within “The Bad Seat”, which features piano and an unexpectedly appealing chorus. This chorus is also reprised at the end of the album as a campfire sing-along. Of course, much like any band playing a similar style, they channel Black Sabbath from time to time. This is most evident in the mid-pace dirge of “Slow Day”. McGrath deserves accolades due to his varied guitar tones which bounce between murky, spacey, and phased
At just over 30 minutes, length is definitely a noticeable shortcoming. The diverse song structures make for an interesting album, but it seems like they don’t fully expand on some of their ideas. “Garbage In, Garbage Out” serves as an excellent closer and illustrates their more expansive side. The sludgy, bluesy guitars and pained vocals make for an intense listen. The raw, gritty production is actually a great asset since it captures the band’s live sound and anyone who has seen them perform knows that they are definitely a live band. Clouds certainly bring you back to a time when rock and roll was about the riffs. They aren’t afraid to write a record that is simply enjoyable for the sake of being so. If they continue this level of progression from album to album, the sky is truly the limit. (Hey, if they can name the album We Are Above You, I get to end the review with this tacky line).
--Dave Spak
Comments
Ann Arbor, MI
DETH ROK!!!!
-Dave
raleigh