Adopting the moniker The Cloud Premiere, this singular, self-taught multi-instrumentalist currently resides in Nashville, concocting a brand of instrumental music resulting in a spectrum of lo-fi, electronic, dream-pop, modern ambient, and “space-chill” (which I may have totally made up…but it totally fits).
And his latest release, ON THE FENCE – an album reflecting conflict between chaos and harmony, as well as uncertainty regarding which aforementioned force to grant credence to – offers a selection of mood-inducing ambience and emotionally sonorous colors. So, is ON THE FENCE worth climbing upon, or should one stay off the fence indefinitely? Let’s hit the highlights:
Wait. Why “The Cloud Premiere?”
According to the artist, “The Cloud Premiere is a statement made to represent the forecast of an unknown future. It means that nobody knows what the future holds, but we all must do our best to live in the present. It is about dreaming even when all hope seems lost.”
Now, on with the highlights…
“NOIR” starts with almost slapping percussion and warm, distorted synth chords before exploding into sparkling sounds and a stronger, danceable beat.
“TREAD ON WIDER TRAILS” is spacey strings, digital trickles, and ice block collisions over industrial percussion. There’s a deep buzzing underneath as ancient machinery erupts into glassy, midrange pads. A very interesting, multi-faceted musical excursion.
“PAPERBACK” is gurgling electric noises and a reverb-drenched digital chorus over bouts of robotic percussion. It’s a brief expression of something hastily experienced – something that makes a quick, fluttering exit mere moments after arrival.
“GREENROOM” is a whooshing musical blueprint of the softly breathing architecture making up some lime-colored, other-dimensional space. Perhaps in the GREENROOM, one sits under violet waterfalls upon floating isles of olive moss. Perhaps in the GREENROOM, one is reunited with lost loves, or granted a tailored paradise interpreted from one’s desires. Whatever, or wherever, GREENROOM is, it’s mostly in your mind, but only separated by a simple, surprisingly porous dimensional barrier.
Eponymous track “ON THE FENCE” features a swarming synth pad over soft percussion. There are atonal hums/buzzes and starlit piano sprinkles as this unimposing number crafts its musical cloudscape.
“TIME’S UP” is that chaos we mentioned earlier. It’s bombastic, messy, frantic, and desperately restructuring itself to grant the listener something listenable.
“WEATHERWORN,” the album closer, features hard 8-bit bass pulses over tinny ‘80’s-style electronic drums. If the characters from Stranger Things were battling an onslaught of militant denizens from the Upside Down, their psionic counter-strike would occur over music just like this.
But….is it good?
Feel like chilling out under a soft blanket and with a bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup? Want to do some light research while listening to something equally light and not at all imposing? Want to give this music your full attention and slide backwards through its algae-covered dimensional doorway? Then you’ll love ON THE FENCE from The Cloud Premiere. We certainly did, and had a hard time returning to what constitutes a normal existence. Recommended.
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BELOW: Listen to The Cloud Premiere and check him out on YouTube, Instagram, Spotify, Apple Music, TikTok, and X (formerly and eventually Twitter). Please support The Cloud Premiere by visiting him online and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music. And, as always, thank you for supporting real music.
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