Let's take a moment and think of Cleveland, Ohio. Does it spring to mind as a place of exciting musical developments and a hub of creativity in American culture? No you're right, it doesn't to The Fly either. Yet somehow the place has managed to spawn one of the most promising bands of 2010 in Cloud Nothings.
Deluging our eardrums from the off tonight with their agile indie-pop, there is a quintessential American college-radio essence to Cloud Nothings’ sound. 'Didn't You' with its shimmering chords and “oooh-eee-oooh”s could easily be slotted into the soundtrack of a teen angst-driven television show, and in turn it gets the crowd satisfyingly bobbing their heads along from the off. Succeding song 'Leave You Forever' sets a welcoming quicker pace to proceedings, as frenetic guitar riffs and drum beats topple over each other for dominance, and in several of the outfit’s songs, bursts of accelerated music sporadically give way to briefly toned down instrumentals before kicking back into momentum again; providing an essential variation in arrangement that prevents them from ever falling into the trappings of monotony. The lo-fi production sound that Cloud Nothings' recordings possess sadly doesn't translate live, but Dylan Baldi's virile and earnest vocals compensate sufficiently for this loss.
Despite the band being evidently accomplished, there remain a couple of traits in their onstage performance that betray their young age and general lack of experience tonight. Predominantly, the entire set feels very rushed and some tracks feel as though they have been put on fast forward. 'Hey Cool Kid' is a song that oozes assured nonchalance, yet the ironically geek-chic band race through it at such a speed that it appears they're trying to inconspicuously hurry past the jock in the hall rather than confront him with their discerning lyrics. That being said, the confidence Cloud Nothings need in order to be able to pace themselves so that both they and audience can enjoy their live performance entirely will undoubtedly come with time and practice.
This review was originally published on www.the-fly.co.uk
No comments:
Post a Comment