Search - Clearlake :: Cedars

Fulfilling, thoughful, and British

mezzawezza | SW London, UK | 01/31/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"If, like me, you are interested in delving deeper into the indie / electonic genre this this might be for you. I actually found them while looking for stuff on "South" and these were recommmended, and how right that recommendation was.OK, this band have been influenced by all things British; The Smiths, Radiohead, Longpigs immediately spring to mind. Would we dare use this sound and claim to be original? They have, and they've done a good job. "Almost The Same", "Can't Feel A Thing", "Come into the Darkness" undulate from crunching guitar and melodic acoustic sounds, while "Mind is Evil" and "Keep Smiling" combine the somber melodies of Ben and Jason with a hint every-so-often of the Beatles's use of strings to remind you once more of a britpop era past.With "Wonder if the snow will settle" you'll swear you know from somewhere (Beatles perhaps?), but it never gives you the satisfacion of recollection, perhaps therefore, it's no suprise this was my favourite track.If albums from Elbow or the Longpigs grace your collection then you'll recognise the connection to "I'd like to Hurt you" (haunting and flavoured with great bass sounds), "Just off the coast" (fantastic guitar riff to this track, and wet drum sounds), "Treat Yourself with Kindness" (vocals glide over the top of a wave of anthemic guitar - not unlike the old days of Radiohead).This album is not for playing before you go out. Many have commented that it's airs on the negative side, but so what? they have something to say and I think people will listen."

9.1 out of 10 from PitchforkMedia.com

MEWZIK | 11/09/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Domino four-piece Clearlake call the same Sussex coast home, and sound like the sort of kids in shivering shorts whose skin thickened from playground pushes. But instead of marveling under the iron ribs of St. Pancras or hunting Cornish abbeys - Clearlake construct their own echoing places of worship in Cedars, with some help from the Cocteau Twins' Simon Raymonde.With the band's arcane 2001 debut, Lido, behind him, lyricist Jason Pegg clouds his nostalgia with fear and devilry. As drums clap like pew-kneelers under buttresses of strings on "The Mind Is Evil", Pegg warns like a grimacing choirboy, "it makes me do all those unspeakable things." This veiling of coal-colored sentiment in majestic settings runs through every track. In "Keep Smiling", the lines "Just nod your head accordingly and do the opposite of anything they tell you" mirror Thom Yorke's Hail to the Thief manifesto, but Pegg's de-politicized subversion strikes harder-- as unlike Yorke's reaction against the obvious, with his willingness to point the finger inward to less-admittable wickedness. Elsewhere, processional whipcracks of percussion and paint-chipped baby grands drive him to admit "I wouldn't hurt a fly, but I'd really like to punish you" on "I'd Like to Hurt You", suggesting that any of us can snap under pressure-- whether that pressure results from government, the anxious Zeitgeist, or ex-girlfriends, Pegg doesn't say, but the universal ambiguity of his sentiments injects the music with a raw and timeless nature.Throughout Cedars, Clearlake continually find beauty in melancholy and melancholy behind beauty, while raising your hairs in reverence with occasional guitar squalls. Murals of feedback, keyboards, and chanting close in around "Come into the Darkness". As Pegg inverts the Golden Rule into a mantra of selfish motivation on "Treat Yourself with Kindness", lurching chords burst up the walls like shadows springing in sudden bold bars of light through stained glass. The drama segues into the closing hymn of "Trees in the City", where hope is found in the resilient growth of greenery in a smoky metropolis.The British love to honor through a lacerating wit. It seems almost as if modernity is tolerated only with the thought that one day humanity will lose and the English countryside will expel the scars of society. Clearlake fit into this tradition as true patriots. Cedars towers in the tradition of the best British art."

Amazing Record - Buying another two for XMas presents

MEWZIK | 11/07/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After spending some good time with Cedars (and the rest of the Clearlake catalog), this band reminds me of a time when Blur's Modern Life Is Rubbish was released and adored. Clearlake's material reminds you fondly of Blur B-sides from the Rubbish/Parklife era, topped off with the electronic spin of say, Grandaddy. This should be an easy purchase for a South (absolutely), Doves (lost souls), Grandaddy, or early Blur fan. Their first album got slammed by allmusic.com - Again, could not disagree more. Both are very easy listens."