In House #1855: Cloud Cult's Meaning of 8; New Britt Daniel

It's one thing to be prolific but another entirely to be prolific and brilliant. Our occasional tendencies to engage in hyperbole aside, Minneapolis' Cloud Cult has been something close to both for the better part of the decade now, while still somehow managing to be kept under wraps like a special secret. With the release of Meaning of 8, the band's fifth full-length in the past seven years, their underground darling days may soon be at an end. The nineteen-track collection is a sprawling, stuffed to the gills festival of pop, at times so lyrically and musically dense that it's impossible to believe that it doesn't fall right over on its face. But no, Craig Minowa and friends succeed where so many have failed, and their pop pastiche brings to mind the best (and long-lost) moments of the Flaming Lips, the tribal righteousness of the Arcade Fire, the nearly unhinged lunacy of Modest Mouse. Songs like "Chemicals Collide," perhaps the best example of a pure pop song in 2007 this side of Peter, Bjorn & John's "Young Folks," literally beam with...we'll call it hope (and that's OK); "Please Remain Calm," meanwhile, suggests a Beta Band heir in the land of Sinclair Lewis. Meaning of 8 is a lot to take in at once, but it's a varied and captivating lot-- what more can you ask than that? The band that passes out environmentally-minded fact sheets at their gigs and looks like your college drama troupe just might be the emerging face of American indie-pop, and it's about time. Cloud Cult play two Montana dates this week, tonight in Bozeman and tomorrow night in Missoula, before heading for the west coast.

Cloud Cult

In House #1855.
Airdate: 4/24/07
Focus: New release from Cloud Cult, Meaning of 8, playing Montana shows tonight and tomorrow night, plus new music from Britt Daniel, The National, Pela, Modest Mouse, and more.

BONUS MP3s-
Cloud Cult, from Meaning of 8:

"Take Your Medicine" (MP3)

Spoon's Britt Daniel, from Bridging the Distance: A Portland Covers Compilation:

"Bring It On Home To Me" (MP3) (Sam Cooke cover)

BONUS Vid- Cloud Cult's "Chemicals Collide":


PLAYLIST

In House #1824: Rocky Votolato in Boise, Provo; Bigsby Jones in Pocatello

With a fifth solo full-length coming later in the year (the brag & cuss is due out June 19th on Barsuk), singer-songwriter Rocky Votolato plays venues in Boise and Provo this weekend. While fronting the emo-tinged Waxwing, Votolato released his self-titled debut in 1999, an album made up of quiet indie-folk tunes that revealed another side to his muse. Last year's makers, his first solo effort since the disbanding of the band in 2005, showed Votolato walking even further down the country road, with flourishes of harmonica and pedal steel backing up mostly voice and acoustic guitar arrangements. Songs like "White Daisy Passing," and "Uppers Aren't Necessary," displayed his skill for matching soft harmonies with contagious melodies, and the album skirted territory claimed by M. Ward and Bright Eyes while achieving a certain ragged charm of its own. The word on the new album is that it veers even further into classic country territory, fleshed out by a full band that includes Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter's Bill Herzog and Pedro the Lion's Casey Foubert (who also produced the album), among others.


Also today, music from the full-length debut by Bozeman, Montana's Bigsby Jones. The quartet released memories & dreams just this week, and make their Pocatello debut tomorrow night at the First National Bar. There are plenty of influences evident in the band's sound, due largely to the fact that they consist of four contributing songwriters. One hears the roots-leaning rock of Neil Young alongside the alt.country of Uncle Tupelo and jamband sounds of Leftover Salmon. Showtime is 9:30, downtown Old Town.


In House #1824.
Airdate: 3/9/07
Focus: Rocky Votolato in Boise tonight and Provo tomorrow night, plus Bozeman, Montana's Bigsby Jones in Pocatello tomorrow night. Also, new music from Willy Mason, Ferraby Lionheart, and more.


PLAYLIST

In House PODCAST #272