Search - Clouddead :: Clouddead

God damn

pimptastik | Austin, TX United States | 09/22/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"All I have to say is if you like the style of Dose one, this is a must. This cd is great for just backround music and to go to sleep to. Along the lines of Circle (from Boom Bip & Dose One) and Reaching quiet."

Lo-Fi Ambience...meets Experimental avant garde greatness

fetish_2000 | U.K. | 06/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Possibly looking the push the boundaries of Hip-Hop even further into the wilderness, the Leftfield collective of Producer "Odd Nosdam", and oddball rappers "Doseone" & "Why?". Are somewhat of a wildly opposing opposites to mainstream rap, with layers of gloomy ambience regular punctuated with barrages of sonic vocalism, oddball dialogue, streams of conscious thought processes, Paranoid statements and falsetto nursery rhyme singsong. Suffice to say, this was never intended to court a mainstream audience, as everything throughout the course of the album has seemingly been hit with a fiction 'whacky' stick, so to speak. And your enjoyment of this album will probably depend on how leftfield / Quirky / Humorous, you're prepared to accept your music, as there is a fair amount of extreme jumps in style here, they'll have those unprepared for such a Unconventional listen reaching for the 'Stop' button on their Cd players several tracks in. It's a bewildering listen at first, as some tracks glide along with a passage of boggy atmospherics, only to be punctuated with bizarre rapid fire lyrics that (at first) seem at odds with the cerebral tone of the album. It's uncompromising and it feels that this album is so at odds with what's currently out there in the field of Hip-Hop, that anyone thinking of making the investment here, should be fully aware of what they're getting themselves into. Vocals mumble incoherently, then manifest into confrontational rap. Provocative streams of consciousness sit on top of cold, bleak samples and modernist pieces of electronic soundscapes that don't feel a million miles from 'Boards of Canada', and prove to be something of a thoroughly engaging listen, but slight unsettlingly at the same time.
If all this sounds confused, that's because it is, for every moment when 'Cloudead' feel the listener is becoming accustomed & starting to settle in, they completely confound expectations by pulling something new out of the bag. Track #4 "And All You Can Do Is Laugh, Pt 2", opens with a gloomy anxious organ arrangement underpinned with a the most stripped down of slow moving beats, before Doseone storms in with a over enthusiastic vocal swagger before ending his near incomprehensible dialogue, with the quote "F*** 'em!!, if they can't take a joke", before Doseone & Why?, burst into falsetto Nursery rhyme sing along, thorough a song, that changes dymanic more times than any traditional song has a right to (on many occasions you'll actually think another song has started, when in fact it's the same song).
If you're a Dosone fan, then this has to rank amongst his finest work, he's names been attached, and you can buy in the assurance that he displays some of his most impressive lyrical work here. Those trying this album for the first time are well advised to enter into this with a very open mind (or at least have some experience with Experimental Hip-Hop), as its unlike anything else, and yet undeniably a difficult listen, but strangely rewarding at the same time. If you do enjoy this album as much as the other people that have reviewed it, the pinnacle of Doseone's work can be found on the breathtaking "Boom Bip & Doseone - Circles" album, which takes this template, and runs away with it, taking it to it's logical extreme, and manages to comfortably surpass the brilliance of this album. But irrespective of that, this album is something of a rare (experimental) gem, that's demands purchase for those looking for something a little different in their music."

CLOUDDEAD who?

Sam Roberts | .. | 07/02/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"really trying to pinpoint this albums genre and influences will drive you crazy. they sound like no one and for me, thats the kick. as any one who has done any reading on clouddead knows, this cd is comprised of 6 10" records for a total of 12 songs. each suite features a guest. illogic is on 'apt. a', 'and all you can do is laugh' has dj signify scratching and cutting up vocal samples, 'i promise to never get paint on my glasses' has sole, the wolf brothers add live drums, guitar and organ to 'jimmybreeze', 'cloud dead #5' features cuts from mr. dibbs, and finally, 'bike' features all sorts of weirdness from the bay area animals. the entire record was made with a dr. sample, a radioshack mic, an eight track, and various instruments, etc. this record is one of the best arguments i've heard for the term "less is more". the magazine and website Lifesucksdie has stated that cLOUDDEAD "as close as you can get to a description of what doing whippets sounds like", and thats not a false statement by a long shot. i'd classify this album as hip hop but you're just as likely to find it in the 'indie rock' or 'electronica' bins at the record store. i cant totally recomend this to everyone but I can guarentee that any anticon followers or brave hip hop listeners will get something out of this."