Cloudsound - S/T (Fluere Tapes 01)

purps! buckle up... peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)

Earlier today I tried to remember, albeit unsuccessfully, where I heard about Cloudsound, a project of Lee Boyd that always keeps the listener lifted; later, i remembered that it was from Ana, of the venerable Microphones in the Trees. This is the initial effort from Fluere Tapes of Sweden. If subsequent releases can match the overall beauty of the s/t cassette from Cloudsound, then it will be a bright future for Fluere Tapes. Over two sides of tape, outer zone guitar excursions ripple from pulsating speakers. Cloudsound traverses the cosmos, making transitory landings, but never veering from the trichome-laden course of a sonic explorer.

Subsequent to the flowers going up in smoke, resplendent clouds billow resulting in a welter of variegated sonic energy orbiting the starry mind endlessly. Crystal-covered ragas; kind jams; meditative hymns; outer zone seekers - this tape has it all. The guitar playing is beautiful and bright - evoking the beauty of Known Quantity-era Willie Lane- trickling out under the glare of sunlight. Blown out bliss cloaks intricate finger picked patterns and drone. Lofi shoegaze makes a brief appearance. Serene drone exists in dense ambient clouds. This tape makes the speakers breath. On the flipside, Cloudsound's ascent continues unscathed. Basho-esque finger picked guitar has a clean sound. Shortly, spacey effects appear, which add a nice element to the recording. Buoyant notes burn brightly until trailing off -heartfelt vibrations. Warm drone emits pulsating light that partly cloaks idyllic strings. There's not a downer on this tape. A little later, a brief stop in psych folk territory catapults us among celestial bodies. 

The photograph, by Christy Romanick, who also appears in the side A closer, connects nicely to the music. The illustrious Liz Pavlovic is responsible for the layout. Available as a cassette or cd, I highly recommend these jams. On a night when the sky is clear and the stars abundant, this tape provides a nice companion. Both formats were produced in a limited run; secure a copy directly from Cloudsound.

peace and love, friends :)