The Cloud Room
Self-titled CD
Gigantic
Music
Genres: indie rock, rock
Gigantic Music
59 Franklin St.
Suite 403
New York, NY 10013
July 18 - 24 2005 |
The first thing I thought when I heard The Cloud Room's
self-titled debut album was "man, these guys must be from New
York." So I pull out the press sheet and, lo and behold,
it's NYC all the way. Man, am I ever wrong? Well,
perhaps (I remember a year ago listing a song as being in a minor key
only to be later informed it was in C major), but this band is pure, slick, Big Apple
style indie rock. Nothing experimental, just a modern,
glossy-but-not-too-glossy pop sound. If you can ignore their
trendy cover art and the hip but casual band member photos in the
liner notes, you should really be able to appreciate what amounts to
eleven solid tunes.
The fun starts with the memorable "Hey Now Now," but
"Waterfall" is the first truly successful tune - its
shifting structure accentuates the melody well. The disc splits
the rest of its duration between energetic, slick rock tracks
("Blackout," "Beautiful Mess") and calmer pop
songs ("Sunlight Song," "O My Love").
Nuggets like "Devoured in Peace" and "Blue Jean"
rank among the albums best songs, coupling dramatic, lifting textures
with extremely enjoyable melodies. This is a bit Strokes,
a bit Walkmen, and pure NYC. I'm having trouble thinking
up points of comparison, but this is definitely a recognizable
sound. For all its familiarity, though, there's a lot to like
here. Take note.
87%
Matt Shimmer [Vitals:
11 tracks, distributed by the
label, released 2005] |
