A while ago, I once again checked out some new bands which I discovered purely through the act of getting followed on Twitter and this time, I actually want to keep my eye on what the bands get up to. So one of the bands I discovered were Illinois alt rockers Cloud Gavin whose debut album Recycle and Create proved them to be a band that knew their subtleties and a musical charm and grace that could only be influenced by years of Thrice. Their follow up Posture sees the band's post hardcore influence put into much greater action but with the extra chaos comes extra beauty.
After becoming absorbed by the more serene material that was first on offer, the sudden pounce that opens the album of on Pilot is something of a surprise. It's a pleasant surprise as it gives a chance to show how much a dichotomy exist within their music as the riff heavy opening roars with a brutal roughness while the opening vocal performance from frontman Zach Hudson reveals a touching fragility that wells up all sorts of emotion.
Hudson's performance across the album on the likes of Masquerade and Royalty are unleashed with a high level of clarity that burst with a total amount of soulful grace and passion. More than anything, with the admittedly rough production and the feedback drenched guitar work that reveals the sheer extent of it's intricacies on the likes of Pilot and Masterpiece as well as the ability to slam down with powerful hooks as seen on Fox and Fiasco, Cloud Gavin use their wide range of influences that leans heavily from prog bands in a way that just makes them sound so much more real than many other bands.
This sense of realism is proven most effectively in the epic title track that closes the album that really brings all their influences together in one. As it opens with an array of poetic alt rock built up of pure sincerity and emo-laced vulnerability and twisted romanticism, it is brought stunningly to life through triumphant riffage, funk laden basslines and a greater sense of brutal velocity, before floating away in a graceful acoustic manner. In terms of how real it is, it allows listeners to slip away in a dream like state before crashing them down to earth.
So, with Cloud Gavin having the appearance of a band that is genuinely little-known, they boast a big sound on Posture that displays high promise for their future. With high levels of passion and wonder in their performance, the set of songs on the album is absolutely indestructible. If they are as little known as I may fear, then who knows, maybe me writing about them will increase their following. Do it. Do it for totally respectable music.
Cloud Gavin's Posture is out now independently.
