Bliss Release - Cloud Control (2010)

Bliss Release - Cloud Control (2010) In three words: Pastoral, Carefree, Spiritual

I am very grateful that my friend introduced me to this band. After listening to the first track on the record, I knew they were going to be one of my favourites. Cloud Control is an Australian band hailing from the Blue Mountains in Sydney. So it is not surprising that this band creates indie folk music which sounds organic, ethereal and is full of dreamy harmonies. The quartet consists of Heidi Lenffer on keys and vocals and brother Ulrich on drums, plus Jeremy Kelshaw on bass and guitarist and singer Alister Wright. Bliss Release is Cloud Control’s first full length album, which has received many auspicious praises from music critiques. This acclaim is warranted, as Cloud Control has produced a fresh sounding album and successfully blended several different genres across Bliss Release, without sounding obscure or directionless.

Bliss Release beings with 'Meditation Song #2 (Why, Oh Why)'. A suspenseful buzz leads to a soul acoustic chord while Alister and Heidi’s voices almost echo “Make my head a pool of water now.” Soon after a soaring harmony, the unique chorus bursts into the song, as they chant “Why, oh why” over chord progressions, distorted guitar riffs, drones, rhythm claps and tambourines. Cloud Control blends these elements together which somehow produces harmony instead of chaos. The combined rock and folk sounds are dreamy yet powerful, with surreal lyrics; “Peer into the centre of my soul. Find all the things I need to make me whole.” As an opener, 'Meditation Song #2' provides listeners with an almost psychedelic introduction to Bliss Release.

Then straight after the ending fuzz of the first track comes clear and shimmering electric guitar progressions with more boy/girl melodies. 'There’s Nothing In The Water We Can’t Fight' is upbeat and optimistic with references to Hinduism: “Mother Ganga take me higher. You wake up, you're on fire.”
After moving the album to a more eerie tone with 'Ghost Story', 'Gold Canary' wakes the listener up with Alister’s powerful voice and thumping afrobeats. The song is also centered around “nah-nah” chants and “whoops” while tambourines and hand-claps invoke a whimsical atmosphere. It is a great single which successfully broad casted Cloud Control to the Australian indie scene.

The next track, 'This Is What I Said', is bouncy and carefree as Alister asks "can you feel the tangible chill in the air? Is it here? Is it there?" A falsetto chorus and quirky bass and electric guitar chords also contribute to the general playfulness of the song. Then 'Just For Now' opens with modest acoustic strumming and bitter-sweet lyrics: "Twenty years on a steady slope, I'm all out of rope." It's a standard folk track until tribal drums liven it up.

Eventually, 'My Fear #2' kicks off with an ascending electric guitar and a jaunty baseline. This track so up-tempo that is has real dance-ability. To me, 'My Fear #2' displays Cloud Control's musical and lyrical confidence to a tee. Midway through the song, Alister adds a fuzzy guitar distortion and a killer solo, leading into surreal vocalizations from both singers. This song is lively and so enjoyable, it's probably my favorite song on the record.

The closing track is called 'Beast Of Love' and exhibits Lenffer as the vocal lead. Her voice is distant and soothing as she croons "love is foolish, yet we're fine. Waiting for the beast of love to smile." Slowly, complicated melodies of "you are all I need" are integrated into the song with folkly instrumentals. It's a peaceful and almost romantic end to the album. Bliss Release is a charming collection of songs which can provide a blissful escape from everyday life.

Veckatimest - Grizzly Bear (2009)

Veckatimist - Grizzly Bear (2009) In three words: Reflective, Harmonious, Earthy

Grizzly Bear is a Brooklyn based alternative rock band, Veckatimest is their third full-length studio album. Their music has psychedelic and folk tendencies, combined an abundance of vocal harmonies. The record is named after a small island Massachusetts, if you're wondering. After the success of their previous LPs, Horn Of A Plenty (2004) and Yellow House (2006), Veckatimest was released on the 26 of May and also received numerous acclaims and awards. To me, the fact that Grizzly Bear has produced an album almost every two years, demonstrates serious ambition. It is also shows though the band's observable planning and intricate details that was put into this fascinating and beautiful record.

Veckatimest opens with Southern Point, a mixture of bustling acoustic guitars and folk-jazz drums. The song then adds riffs and vocal harmonies that phase in and out, making the listener feel free, exhilarated and boisterous. The song is like a journey, frequently changing in tone and pace. Its both disorientating and intricate, a great opener. With lyrics like "our haven on the southern point is calling us" and "in the end, you'll never find" I think the track is about the Island on which the album was recorded and how it is a haven for the band. Next is the single Two Weeks, which is upbeat and cheerful. It centres around a simple piano melodie and indie rock sensibility. With its soaring harmonies, the singer asks "Would you always? Maybe sometimes? Make it easy?" I would say that this is the album's most real moment, the dealings of an intimate relationship. From here, Veckatimest wanders off into quiet, folk daydreams in All We Ask and Fine For Now. Then Cheerleader begins. This track is alluring and harmonious. It combines a choir, folk beats and calming guitar chords. "I'm shooting them myself, I shouldn't let it matter"; Despite its beauty, the song's lyrics come across as bitter or hateful.

The next masterpiece of Veckatimest is Ready, Able. This track has a verse, verse, chorus, chorus structure. This emphasises the slow build up to a surreal swell of riffs, vocalisations, keyboards and drums. This is my favourite track on the record, it's just drenched with an atmosphere that a lot of good bands can't replicate. Ed sings, "they go, we go, I want you to know what I did I did" like a mantra. Overall, I think Ready, Able is a depiction of another love relationship, where the two involved make to decision to seriously be together. After Ready, Able comes About Face and Hold Still. Then the single While You wait For The Others begins with a harsh and unorthodox guitar riffs to wake listeners up from the previous dreamy songs. Veckatimest concludes with Foreground, a simple but haunting piano based song. The album fades out with "This is the foreground. It is the Foreground." backed by an eerie choir. This song has so many possible meanings to me but ultimately, I think it's about the disjunction between intentions and actions. Stunningly beautiful, Foreground is the perfect closer to an incredible album.