This has been a long time coming, for which I apologize a million times over to this wonderful band; it's easy to get lost in the plethora of minutae that seem to make up life at large, and before you know it it's already 2009.
I still have trouble remembering to write an '8' at the end of the date. >.>
I know what you're thinking: "Man, you must be getting senile in your old age, the rambling is worse than usual." However, in this case, you'd be wrong; the preamble ties in, I promise!
What I'm getting at is this: with the frantic pace of modern life, it's sometimes difficult to take time out and enjoy the things that, in reality, are the best parts.
See: The Unsparing Sea
(How's THAT for a smoking gun? *is smug*)
A Cloud in the Cathedral is one of those albums you want to listen to completely and wholly; it's the type of album I'd buy on vinyl, because this would guarantee that I wouldn't be tempted to multitask. I'd just sit back and listen to the beautiful melodies weaving through my head and forget the world for a blessed few minutes of sheer music bliss.
Opener "O! Form O! Place" gets us started; in our minds, we are taken to the musical equivalent of your Happy Place. A place where nothing bad can happen, at least melodically speaking. Easygoing guitar, vocals, percussion, and violin carry us through the passing landscape at a comfortable pace. I'd compare it to an establishing shot in a film, one where the landscape is as important and grandiose as any of the characters.
You feel the passage of time suspended within a seemingly timeless moment; from the melancholy moments ("National Guard") to the happy and energetic ("I Wasn't There, That Didn't Happen") to the waterborne ("On Sinking Ships"...okay, usually road trips aren't seafaring, but I've always wanted them to be in part. I'll allowed >.>); there are moments of breathtaking beauty and moments of regularity, each moment has its place, and none seem rushed or out of place. The transitions are natural, and all in all, we are different people at the end of the journey than we were at the start.
Overall, A Cloud in the Cathedral reminds me of traveling across open spaces; it's the sound that plays in your head on a long drive with no hurry, where you're completely at peace and in a state of contentedness, watching the landscape outside your window as it rolls past. (Usually, in this scenario, I would probably imagine myself as not being the driver >.>) Or, much like their name, you could maybe slow it down and make the connection to a slower, more majestic time and the feeling of traveling across an ocean.
All in all, it's a journey you won't regret taking.
P.S: check out their website; it's actually really nicely designed, and really gives you a feel for their sound in visual terms.
Grade: R, for road trip; an album that goes places and changes in subtle ways.
Notable stops: "National Guard", "God Will Protect the Naive", "A Lion With No Teeth"
music:
"God Will Protect the Naive"
http://www.mediafire.com/?wzyf3rxy3ic
on Myspace:
http://myspace.com/unsparingsea
on the web:
http://www.unsparingsea.com/
~Ju
