By: Zachary Burton
To begin to attempt to fit Cloud Cult into a genre would be to attempt to define a cougar as a kitten. Vaguely at one point, a cougar was a kitten, but Cloud Cult can no longer be shuffled into any old genre. With their newest effort “Love,” that point is clear.
The record kicks off with “You’re the Only Thing in Your Way,” a softer track with a torn down structure with no more than strings, an acoustic and the singer’s vocals. I’d like to say this sets the mood for the album or that it builds from here into a burst of sound in the eighth or ninth track, but this is no regular CD.
With the die down of the first, “It’s Your Decision” picks up immediately. A blend of piano and strings, which seem to exist across this entire album, set the song in motion, keeping it upbeat until the electronic section midway through that smoothly blends back into the song as though it never hiccupped the hooky chorus. It’s moments like this that allow Cloud Cult to get away with the menagerie of sounds they’ve squeezed into this album.
Unfortunately with tracks like “Complicated Creation,” this smash-up of sounds doesn’t always sell well. The number starts off like any other of the acoustic-folk songs crowding out the radio station then jumps into a flawless piano feature but ends with the shout-singing that would even bore The Lumineers.
As the lengthy 13-track CD proceeds through it parts, the band dips its toes in multiple genres, but regardless of this, most sound seamless. Craig Minowa’s voice effortlessly blends in with every track, even as the effects kick on halfway through the CD where things truly pick up. By the fifth track, the band has left the feel goods behind for a more melodramatic tone. In “All The Things We Couldn’t See,” the band approaches jam band but quickly reproaches the idea with the next track, “The Calling,” utilizing strings and piano once more to set the mood.
By the eighth track, “Good Friend,” the band abruptly takes a turn toward pop-rock but then a sharp left the other direction with the multi-voiced harmonies and country touch of “Meet Me Where You’re Going,” the ninth track.
Aptly named, the album was written about love, and because of this, “It Takes A Lot” is the strongest track. Lyrics proclaiming how much of this or that frivolous or painful action to learn the lesson with a catchy melody leave a strong ending. The consistent use of strings and piano was something I didn’t anticipate from this eclectic band, but by no means was I disappointed.
9/10
