It’s no secret that Cloud Cult frontman Craig Minowa’s vocals are, to be completely blunt, a bit average. Nor can it be argued that his songwriting does not border on being childish and a little silly. With what redeeming qualities, then, has Cloud Cult managed to permeate not only my heart, but also my Last.fm top ten artists with a single album? The answer: passion and charm.

Using a fusion of electronic and traditional instrumentation, adorableness and pure emotion, Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) hits my musical sweet spot. The lyrics, absurd as they may be, are just plain cute. I mean really, (from “Story of the Grandson of Jesus”) “do unto yourself as you’d do unto your neighbor; it’s not an eye for an eye, it’s a favor for a favor.” Does that not just make you want to go out and plant a tree or help an old lady across the street or something? The “feel good” part of the album title isn’t there without reason.

Still, there are the more somber moments of the album. Acoustic “The Ghost Inside Our House” touches on the transience of life, and oddly haunting and intense “May Your Hearts Stay Strong” tells a somewhat atypical love story. Despite the relatively short playtime of the album, you won’t mind listening for a second or third time (or fifteenth, if you’re like me).

If that’s not enough to sell you, the band releases their albums on Minowa’s own Earthology Records using all recycled materials, and all profits are donated to environmental charities. Guilt-free CD purchases!

“Everybody Here Is a Cloud” – Download MP3
“The Tornado Lessons” – Download MP3
“When Water Comes to Life” – Download MP3

Purchase the album from the official website.

By the way, feel free to ignore Pitchfork’s self-indulgence. Just feel the music, don’t analyze it with a microscope. I mean, either every one of my ten favorite albums of all time is sub-par, or Pitchfork writers hate originality and like the sound of their own hypercritical voices. You be the judge! (Ooh, one-sided interblag drama.)

Tags: Cloud Cult

This entry was posted on Monday, August 18th, 2008 at 3:05 pm and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.