I had never heard of Black Clouds before I saw them open the DC date for the Alcest/Deafheaven tour. I'm not sure they really fit on that bill (actually, Auroboros, the other opener didn't exactly either), but I was way fucking impressed. Looking back on that show it was their set, not Alcest or Deafheaven, that left the greatest impression on me. Since then I've been looking forward to some recorded material and Everything Is Not Going To Be OK does not disappoint. I've been trying to think of bands with whom I can compare Black Clouds for the last week or so, but haven't found any of the comparisons to be satisfactory. But that might just be because I don't really listen to enough post-rock anymore. I think the best I can come up with would be a less mathy, more sinister The Cancer Conspiracy. Think post-rock with a little ambient thrown in the mix, but not of the triumphant, makes you feel like taking on the world variety, as you probably gathered from the album title.While the drumming and guitar are both totally excellent, what really stands out on this album is the bass. The bass tones aren't exactly standard fare for post-rock, it's more Godflesh than Explosions In The Sky, which I think plays a big part in why I enjoy this so much (referencing The Big Lebowski in a song title doesn't hurt either, he was a man who loved the outdoors...and bowling). I don't know how long these guys have been around, but for an initial release this is surprisingly well fleshed out and sounds much more like a band in their prime than one working to attain their own identity. Looking forward to hearing more from Black Clouds, hopefully in the near future.
Right now you can name your own price for Everything Is Not Going to Be OK over at bandcamp. Do it.
RAD ALBUM!!!!
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