The Clouds Will Clear

Good evening fellow progheads and thanks for taking another trip with me in the Concert Closet!  Recently I have been hopscotching "across the pond;" alternating jaunts between the USA and UK with a few side trips to Russia, Finland, and other prog hotspots just to keep fossil fuel consumption high. This week we make another tangent--to Germany--for a week of crazy weather as we check out The Clouds Will Clear.

The Clouds Will Clear hail from Frankfurt and classify themselves as an "...instrumental postrock/ambient band."  Being a Brian Eno fan from way back, I am quite intrigued to hear musicians refer to their music as having an ambient sound.  This was the hook that caught my attention and suddenly the calendar was filled for the next seven days...

Being relatively new to the prog garden, The Clouds Will Clear offer up but a few delicacies for the buffet this week...but quality will always trump quantity.  Let's begin this feeding frenzy with a song called "It Makes Tomorrow Alright."  Imagine a door in your mind opening slowly as you cross the threshold into a dimension not quite psychedelic and not exactly psychotic...just on a plane skew to everything you knew up to this point. Think Under the Psycamore meets Be Bop Deluxe and you are traveling in the correct stratosphere.  The music is soothing and alarming all at once.

Serving number two is a tune called "Nobody Nowhere."  Another opening like a walk into a third dimension...The Clouds Will Clear views prog through an entirely different lens than most I suspect. The guitars and drums come together as if pureed in a blender; they bleed through each other almost seamlessly.  The background vocals seem to be coming from a source outside the realm of the music...this is a section of the prog garden I have not spent much time in--until now.  I can say with utmost certainty that I will be pitching a tent and camping in the "avant-garde/space prog" section of the garden for a little while.  If Klaatu took a more somber approach to their music and were able to join forces with Syd Barrett, The Clouds Will Clear could easily be their backing band.

Liner Notes...The Clouds Will Clear is amazingly a two-man group...Angelo plays guitar, synthesizer, and samples while Tobi plays drums and bass.  As mentioned earlier, The Clouds Will Clear got together in Frankfurt, Germany in 2013.  Angelo held open auditions and Tobi fit right in behind the drum kit.  The Clouds Will Clear is still looking for a third member to round out the band...any bass players out there reading this?  Might be worth giving Angelo and Tobi a call--if Germany is on your commuting schedule.  If it ain't, perhaps you want to roll that map out one more fold...

The sound Angelo and Tobi created flows with an ethereal resonance hard to pin down.  The guitars are light as they float over the top of the sound, giving the drums and synthesizers balance.  A light, airy feel is countered with the heavy, authoritative/mechanical vocals that pepper the songs.  The Clouds Will Clear has extended the boundaries of the prog garden--which should intrigue even the most traditional proghead...

My final selection from the buffet this week is called "Amygdalae."  As expected by now, The Clouds Will Clear open the song in surreal fashion, soothing the listener into a sense of inner peace. While the calm never gives way to anarchy or chaos, the smooth exterior is almost eerie as it slowly coats the inner lining of your ears.

The clip posted below is called "Solar Eclipse."  The opening may make you question the intention of the band, but fear not--it moves slowly and purposefully to a smooth union of guitars, drums, and synthesizers.  Learn more about The Clouds Will Clear at  https://www.facebook.com/thecloudswillclearmusic/info?ref=page_internal and hear more of their music at http://thecloudswillclear.bandcamp.com




Well fellow progheads, I hope you enjoyed this week's review.  The Clouds Will Clear are unique in their own right and tilling some stimulating acreage in the prog garden.  Few bands may tread the ground they walk, but someone has to sit in the front of the bus.  The Clouds Will Clear are welcome members to the prog family as there is always room for innovation and a new interpretation of what prog is.  This is but more proof positive that progressive music is not only alive and well, it is thriving.  The pulse may vary, but the heartbeat is strong...and the search for all things prog continues.  Until next week...