Can't Say Enough About Cloud Cult
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One band I cannot plug enough is Minnesota's Cloud Cult. The music is just amazing - thumping drumbeats, haunting strings, driving guitars, and front man Craig Minowa's impassioned vocals merge seamlessly into infectious tunes that defy both categorization and comparisons.
Although the lyrics explore heavy topics like the meaning of life, death, and loss, the overall mood is one of hope. In fact, at first you may find Minowa's words a little too earnest, a little too heartfelt. But this is the kind of optimism that arises out of desperation, when you've reached the point where you have to keep telling yourself everything is going to be alright just to get through the day.
And there is a compelling backstory that might help explain not only the lyrics, but also the prevalence of clinky pianos, music box-like chimes, and children's voices on many of Cloud Cult's tracks. In 2002, Minowa and his wife lost their two-year-old son Kaidin, who mysteriously passed away in his sleep one night. The couple, overcome by this tragedy, split up. Minowa poured this devastation into his music, and it shows. The words almost don't matter. You can tell what he's saying just by listening to the emotion in his voice. (You'll be happy to know that Minowa and his wife, Connie, have since reunited.)
I also have immense respect for Cloud Cult for their unparalleled commitment to the environment. On their last tour, the band outfitted their van with solar panels, planted an acre of trees to offset their carbon emissions, and purchased wind energy credits to power their stage performances.
But that's not all. Cloud Cult's record label, Earthology, is located on an organic farm that operates on geothermal and wind energy. Its recording studio was built with recycled materials like plastic lumber and newspaper soundboards. Even the CDs are environmentally friendly. They feature reused jewel cases and are wrapped in nontoxic LDPE plastic wrap. Inserts are printed on 100 percent post-consumer recycled paper with soy inks. To top things off, Earthology is a nonprofit label, using its revenue to promote environmental causes.
So go buy their new album The Meaning of 8 and see them on tour. You'll get great music and help the environment. Eat your heart out, Bono.
Official Website: www.cloudcult.com
Earthology: www.earthology.net
MySpace: www.myspace.com/cloudcult
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