Photo credit: Carson Lund
Info: In a new series on REMY, to bring as much independent music from outside of Ireland to your ears, I'll be picking my favourite album release from around the globe on a weekly basis. Picking my favourite tracks and why I chose the particular LP, a mini review if you will. The first album is one I have enjoyed so much that I ended up listening straight through his entire discography including his previous two albums in one sitting. This week we have Plays With Fire from Tyler Taormina, aka Cloud, who hails from Long Island, New York.
Debuting with 2013’s lauded 'Comfort Songs' LP, Long Island’s Cloud (aka Tyler Taormina and friends) returns with 'Plays With Fire'. Nine songs and 32 minutes of quiet optimism and greying nostalgia, mixing the wide-eyed naïveté of Jonathan Richman with the cold-weather pop of Yo La Tengo and the fractured soundscapes of Galaxie 500. Though operating on a DIY level, Cloud’s previous two LPs have found praise and support from Pitchfork, Stereogum, GoldFlakePaint, Drowned in Sound, CLASH, Indie Shuffle, The 405, KCRW and DIY Mag and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft, Tom Robinson and Gideon Coe.
Debuting with 2013’s lauded 'Comfort Songs' LP, Long Island’s Cloud (aka Tyler Taormina and friends) returns with 'Plays With Fire'. Nine songs and 32 minutes of quiet optimism and greying nostalgia, mixing the wide-eyed naïveté of Jonathan Richman with the cold-weather pop of Yo La Tengo and the fractured soundscapes of Galaxie 500. Though operating on a DIY level, Cloud’s previous two LPs have found praise and support from Pitchfork, Stereogum, GoldFlakePaint, Drowned in Sound, CLASH, Indie Shuffle, The 405, KCRW and DIY Mag and BBC 6 Music’s Tom Ravenscroft, Tom Robinson and Gideon Coe.
Key tracks:
1. 'Happer's Laugh' - That wobbling guitar and general ambience is the closest thing I've heard sonically to one of my all time favourite albums, Doves 2000 release Lost Souls. Vocally Cloud induces a dream-like state, with a beautiful mysteriousness enriched by the additional vocal input by Ena Alvarado.
2. 'Disenchanted' - Instantly appealing due to it's merry bubblegum pop demeanour. The rhythm and popping percussion are as balmy as you can get, with the electric guitar inducing feelings of escapism as it rattles away into the distance. A little bit Beta Band, a little bit Simon & Garfunkel and something fans of LemonJelly will certainly enjoy very much.
7. 'Wildfire' - Yeah, see ya later, I'm checking out. 'Wildfire' is just one of the tracks that displays Cloud's range, ditching the acoustic-based sound at the beginning of the album to head off to the sonic circus. Fans of the solo works of Animal Collective members Panda Bear and Avey Tare will thoroughly enjoy this number.
Cloud - Wildfire
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