“Your body is just packaging/Sent back for recylcing/There never was a warranty…”
Cloud Cult has never been a joyous band. The airy and light nature of their acoustic-driven folk is a misdirect.
The group’s masterpiece, The Meaning of 8, was about the death of the bandleader’s infant son. I can’t listen to it. It tears my heart to shreds.
There
Metamorphosis, the band’s latest, is not quite as gut-wrenching. There are moments of hope and joy among the moments of pain. Overall, the album is more straightforward folk–much less experimental than their prior work. And that can be a good thing. It is a good thing.
“You deserve better, you don’t need that crap…What’s the destination? Which way do I go?”
The choruses still soar with ponderance of the meaning of life. They’re still talking about death.
“Dad we may differ in how pray/Wherever you go, save me a place/I can feel you slipping away…”
The verses are deep as fuck and require attention. The music is lovely and powerful. But lead singer Craig Minowa seems to be able to smile now, sometimes, and accept that maybe the meaning of life is that there is no meaning. There are places, like on “The Firefly and the Snake,” where he seems to become instantly aware of how precious each instant can be.
Cloud Cult is a criminally overlooked band. You need to buy all their albums (particularly Meaning of 8 and Advice to the Happy Hippopotamus). Metamorphosis is a solid entry in their brilliant discography–definitely in the upper tier of their work.
