Reissue Review: Cloud Cult - They Live on the Sun/Aurora Borealis (* * * *)

Even if you're a die hard Cloud Cult fan, it's unlikely that you have been able to find hard copies of two of the earliest releases - 2003's They Live on the Sun and 2004's Aurora Borealis - from the experimental indie collective. The band has recently remixed, remastered, and re-imagined these two records and released them as a double album to make them widely available in physical format for the first time. And really, besides the convenience for fans of releasing the albums together (at a generous price, I might add), these two records belong together - having been released only six or so months apart and both being conceived and recorded primarily by frontman Craig Minowa in isolation after the unexpected death of his two year-old son not long before. I can't actually comment on the differences between these new versions and the originals as I haven't heard the latter, but I do know there have been a few additions and deletions, including the previously unreleased "Time" on They Live on the Sun and "And It's Good" from Aurora Borealis. For fans of the band's later recordings or for completists, this reissue is one worth exploring.

They Live on the Sun is the rougher and rawer of the two, eclectic and sprawling in the way that the band's current highpoint, The Meaning of 8, is but somehow even more explosive and fractured. In fact, there are relatively few tracks that are cohesive and structured enough to be classifies as songs, with cuts like the scratchy punk rocker "Turtle Shell," the eerie, spoken-word interlude "Da Dum," and the demented "It's Gay" providing brief and bizarre looks into Minowa's troubled and grief-stricken mind using a variety of digital programming and instruments that never settle into one approach for more than a track or two. Even knowing the album's inspiration, the music doesn't often seem outright depressing, but even in it's most pleasant and accessible ("Radio Fodder," for instance), there's a feeling of sadness that permeates the catchy melodies and earnest lyrics. The more full-formed tunes are the highlights here, like opener "On the Sun" or the electronica epic "Back Again P.ii," and though the entire experience can be overwhelming at first given the amount and variance of the material, there's a remarkable amount of sincerity and honesty that Minowa somehow conveys in the midst of all the chaos. For those willing to take the dive and immerse themselves in the experience, They Live on the Sun can be a very rewarding listen.

Only released a handful of months after its predecessor and inspired by the same isolationist experience, Aurora Borealis somehow manages to feel like a decidedly different record than They Live on the Sun. The instrumental palette is similar - guitars, piano, plenty of synths and programming - but there are fewer odd interludes, more traditional (relatively, anyway) rock tunes, and a more urgent, frenzied approach to the proceedings. It's also easier to enjoy and appreciate, with highlights like opening ballad "Breakfast With My Shadow," the dark, spacey "All Together Alone," and the aforementioned new addition "And It's Good" contributing to a fast-paced and accessible first half that subsides into a more experimental and strange second. There are still obvious references to Minowa's son, like the voice of a child in the outlandish "Northern Lights" or the heartbreaking, haunting closer "Beautiful Boy," but Aurora Borealis has the feeling of a return, in part at least, to sanity for this grieving parent. At nearly 20 minutes and six tracks shorter than the epic collage that preceded it, this more streamlined counterpart will likely appeal to a wider audience and shows some of the artistic growth and stability (again, this is relative to the band) shown on Cloud Cult's more recent releases.

I do have some gripes about these reissues, specifically that there were a handful of tracks cut from each (though I still haven't heard them, perhaps I should trust the band's discretion) and that the final song on each album is proceeded by fifteen minutes of silence, which seems like an unnecessary pain. However, these minor flaws don't detract from the quality and amount of the material here that gives longtime fans the ability to own the physical discs and more casual observers, such as myself, a good opportunity to explore the early career of this talented and enigmatic musician.

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Top 25 of 2008 - Alphabetically (Part I)

I love year-end lists, but while I was organizing my top 25, I realized that I was changing the order at least daily and getting nowhere on deciding which were my absolute favorites. So, in order to assuage my anxiety, I decided to make it easier on myself and just put the best (read: my favorite) albums of the year in alphabetical order.

I'm going to do this in five increments as to give myself a little room to justify each of my picks. Without further ado, here are the first five (alphabetically!) of the top albums of the year.


The Black Keys - Attack & Release

Another solid release from one of the most consistent rock 'n' roll groups of the last ten years, Attack & Release successfully marries The Black Keys' gritty, raw style with Danger Mouses' quirky production. With plenty of straightforward rock tunes and a few interesting and exciting departures, the band deliver at every turn. It's great to see the duo switch things up a bit while still retaining what made us love them in the first place.
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Blitzen Trapper - Furr

Blitzen Trapper's love of classic folk-rock and their need to experiment make Furr a fascinating and enjoyable collection of songs that mash together a variety of genres including country and funk. The record manages to incorporate musical elements of the past while still sounding modern and relevant, and although it feels a little scattered at times, there are enough brilliant moments to qualify this as one of my top 25 for 2008.
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Bon Iver - For Emma, Forever Ago

Justin Vernon's masterpiece, recorded under the Bon Iver moniker, is any easy pick for this list and maybe my favorite album of the year. Isolated in a cabin in Wisconsin, Vernon recorded some of the most poignant, beautiful, and heartbreaking songs I've heard in a long time. His haunting falsetto voice, combined with his gentle guitar playing and obtuse lyrics, provides for a truly unique and captivating experience. You owe it to yourself to hear this album; an instant classic.
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Calexico - Carried To Dust

Carried To Dust delivers another generous and compelling dose of Calexico's southwestern-flavored indie music. It's a politically charged album with music ranging from fiery Latin rock to gentle ballads, and while the songs still ride the talented drumming and earnest, whispered vocals that have always been Calexico's trademark, it's brimming with a host of talented musicians including some notable guests like Sam Beam and Pieta Brown. It's another well-written, well-executed record by Burns, Convertino, and company.
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Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-partying Through Tornadoes)

Weird and wacky, yet immensely enjoyable, Feel Good Ghosts was an unexpected but welcome new experience for me this year. Singer/songwriter Craig Minowa, with a penchant for bizarre stories and odd phrases, displays completely sincerity as he works his way through 13 tracks about life, love, death, and loss. The music is packed with swirling strings, layers of synth, and acoustic guitars in a genre-less blend that is unlike anything you're likely to have heard this year.

Review: Cloud Cult - Feel Good Ghosts (* * * *)

If there's a word I use too often when I do reviews, it's "unique." Some of it stems from the fact that my music knowledge isn't as deep as perhaps it should be, and I suppose that occasionally it's just lazy writing, but I'd like to think that there are actually quite a few truly "unique" artists out there making music to which it is difficult to draw comparisons.

The problem with my overuse of the word becomes apparent when I run into an artist or band who leave me without any idea of how to accurately describe their music. Cloud Cult is one such band. The group, led by Craig Minowa, might best fit in the electronica-folk-indie-chamber-pop-rock genre, though I'm not sure if anyone else does (Polyphonic Spree, maybe?). That won't really give you an idea of what goes on through the 13 tracks of Cloud Cult's latest album, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-partying Through Tornadoes). It's a genre-mashing set of songs that is at once weird, wonderful, inspiring, exciting, and strange.

Opener "No One Said It Would Be Easy" kicks things off with an arpeggiated piano line over synthesized bleeps and bloops before the acoustic guitar and drums take over to support lyrics about man's search for meaning in life. Eventually it all comes together in a tremendous, noisy climax; a Cloud Cult specialty. "Everybody Here Is A Cloud" continues a similar musical and lyrical theme before the album's first truly weird moment. "The Tornado Lessons" begins with an intense, minor-key intro featuring organ and electric guitar, and ends with Minowa rapping, the band shouting, and somebody's singing sped up so fast it makes the Chipmunks sound tame in comparison. It's over-the-top and borders on silly (also a Cloud Cult specialty), but insanely catchy and fun. Elsewhere, the band explore more organic (and relatively normal) sounds, such as on the orchestral folk tune "Journey Of The Featherless" and the gentle, acoustic "The Ghost Inside Our House."

Much of Feel Good Ghosts forgoes typical songwriting for a variety of unique (yes, I mean it) structures. The fantastic "Hurricane And Fire Survival Guide" starts with a long instrumental introduction that eventually explodes into a danceable electronica vocal chorus. "Love You All' is simply one line repeated as the music slowly climaxes and subsides. Minowa often keeps the lyrics simple and few, though he's certainly capable of telling a story or creating a character, as on "Story Of The Grandson Of Jesus."

Your ability to digest the often bizarre lyrics is what will ultimately determine your ability to enjoy Feel Good Ghosts. The writing is open and honest, though occasionally walks (or crosses) the line between clever and just plain odd. Lyrics like "I've had enough of hiding underneath my covers, I'm done with all of that poop that brings me down" or "you have a precious little mind, you paint a perfect little rainbow" might derail a song sung by anyone but Minowa, who always sounds completely sincere. Even "Love You All" which repeats "I love my mother, I love my father, when it's my time to go, just want you to know, love you all" somehow comes across as heartbreaking rather than silly.

Cloud Cult is a remarkable band who have made a...you guessed it, unique album just as full of melodic hooks as mind-blowing experimentation. It's sure to end up at the top of several lists at year's end, but I imagine it will also find it's way to the bottom of others. Feel Good Ghosts will be both loved (by me, anyway) and hated, though I doubt anyone will find it boring.

Favorite Tracks: "No One Said It Would Be Easy," "Journey Of The Featherless," "Hurricane and Fire Survival Guide"


Apparently, Wikipedia has three songs available for download