Cloudeater
Sun and Sidearm
[Self-released, 2011]
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This may not be a universal experience, but just about every kid who grew up in the suburbs of a major metropolitan area and later moved to the city remembers his or her first adventure “downtown.” Generally the situation progresses somewhere along the lines of said kid hitting his teenage years, getting introduced to/latching onto some sort of counterculture ideology, and then looking for more kids who think the same way. For whatever reason this usually leads us as juveniles to seek the city. For myself, I started skateboarding and all I wanted was to hit the streets of Atlanta and never come back. But kids flock to the city for a hundred different reasons: music, parties, jobs, drugs, you name it.
I remember my first few trips to Atlanta not by the specific things I saw, but by a series of emotions and feelings, thoughts and inspirations that settled upon my young mind at the time. Most teenagers are searching for some sort of meaning and I was obviously no exception. By walking the streets of Atlanta, going to rock shows and chilling with like-minded friends, I felt more at home then I ever did as the weird kid in suburbia. It felt larger than life to be a part of the city, to get it’s dirt and dust on me, and to lock into it’s vibrant pulse full of life, death and the tragedy of being one forgotten part of an enormous group of people. The whole “alone in a crowded room” idea had such an enticingly bittersweet attraction to me. Although I was experiencing these feelings for the first time, they were already familiar to my soul, which had been searching for them for a long time.
Cloudeater just released a new album titled Sun and Sidearm. If you were tracking on the two paragraphs above, go spin this record. It sounds like nothing you have heard before, but it’s exactly what you’ve been looking for. And, honestly, when I listen to it, I’m a kid experiencing a new city again. Cloudeater layers so many levels of grit, beauty and tragedy on this record that it could have been the moody soundtrack to my youth in Atlanta. Subtle R&B guitar parts get blended into Britpop-esque vocals and bounced off distorted drum parts and fuzzy bass. The whole vibe sounds like an electro band playing songs with real instruments, lending an organic, rock and roll vibe to their foundation that is otherwise rhythm and blues. The songs are upbeat and rhythmic enough to bob your head to and mellow enough to put on when you are climbing into bed at night. While some of the musical parts may sound broken and jarring individually, when everything is put together and taken in context, it’s nothing short of the beauty and elegance of a symphony. There’s a filter of peace and serenity to the entire effort that’s like the gloom of a rainy day descending on the broken dust and rubble of the inner city.
If you try to put Sun and Sidearm into one genre, you are going to find an impossible task on your hands. And that’s what makes the release so perfectly “Atlantian.” Atlanta has always been the home to some of the worlds best hip hop and R&B, and you’ll find a plethora of beats and rhythms on this record that are inspired by those genres. In recent years, indie bands have begun to carve a niche sound for themselves in regards to the rest of the nation, and you can definitely hear their influence on this record as well. The heavier rhythm section of songs such as “The Dive” bring to mind sludge and metal bands, genres that have always been a staple in this city. Indeed, Sun and Sidearm seems to tastefully sample from every genre that makes up Atlanta’s overall music scene. But beyond genre, this record simply sounds like a walk around the city, though I don’t believe that will limit the release to regional success. If you are not from Atlanta you can still “get” and love this record. But there are definitely certain parts that, to me, evoke feelings that only folks who live here are going to get. Call me crazy, but I think it’s true.
Sun and Sidearm is a beautiful, perfectly written release that is put together with precision, purpose and expert craftsmanship. The band displays a fearless emotional honesty that is both refreshing and shockingly innocent. With moments ranging from beautifully intricate shoegaze to heavy hip hop, this record is as diverse and dynamic a local record as you’ll hear all year. Cloudeater has so many different threads woven into the fabric, you’ll be hard pressed not find something you can at least relate to and enjoy. If you are like me, however, you’ll find it absolutely enrapturing.
More Info:
Web: www.cloudeatermusic.com
Bandcamp: www.cloudeater.bandcamp.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/cloudeatermusic
MySpace: www.myspace.com/cloudeatermusic
Twitter: www.twitter.com/cloudeatermusic
