"..somber, delicate, hereafter-chill.."
Cloud Boat
Forthright Modality Sedation
Cloud Boat Bio:
"Apollo present the beautiful debut LP 'Book of Hours' from Cloud Boat aka London duo Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke. This deep and dreamy debut brilliantly showcases them as part of a generation for whom electronic production and songwriting are far from separate worlds similar to childhood friend James Blake. Soft-edged but monumentally huge bass tones in 'Youthern' support Sam's Ennio Morricone-esque guitars and Tom's velvety folk lament. 'Drean' is even more bare, a fingerpicked acoustic ballad with insidious waves of background guitar that well up, sounding both ancient and sci-fi despite having none of the obvious signifiers of 'futuristic' electronica. On 'Wanderlust' Tom hits a liturgical tone, a hymnal yearning filling the song as a cloud of Burial-like crackles rise up around it creating pressure despite their delicacy and showing how it's possible for Cloud Boat to maintain intensity with the most unlikely source materials."
Hello, how are you?
I am good! We have been in the studio all day so I'm a bit goggle eyed but I'm good.
What are you currently listening to?
I am currently listening to Sam record a synth into one of our new demo tracks.
When did this band come about and did you have a planned sound you were going for?
The band came about 2 years ago when we both arrived home from university. We had no idea of how it would turn out but we agreed that Sam would play guitar and I (Tom) would sing. We also decided very early on that we wanted to use electronics to enhance our sound in many different ways. Whether through beats or ambient sounds or collating sounds that we recorded in strange and familiar places. But we never had clear what it would end up sounding like. I think it's better to not care about that and just get involved in the process of making it.
Is there a story behind the band name?
It is a painting by a lithuanian painter/composer who suffered from synesthesia. Sam saw the painting at a seminar and liked the name and I think it fits well with what we are about and how we sound.
Care to shed some light on your debut LP 'Book Of Hours'; theme, favorite track, etc? It doesn't have a specific theme or concept. I think the continuity in the songs or the vibe of the record comes through the fact that it is just me and Sam making it and we have spent a lot of time together over the years. I think you can hear that there is a similarity in the way we think and feel musically. We have essentially been sharing the same life for a few years now so we are often on the same page when we write.
The title iludes to the fact that it is a confessional record full of things that we wanted to let go of and processes towards us taking new things on board. I also intended for it to create a space for the listener to do the same. I wanted people to be able to go inside the songs and explore both the soundscapes and they way they make them feel. It's what me and Sam do every time we play and listen to them.
Will you be touring extensively for said release?
We hope so! We have some plans in the works and some one off dates to keep us going until they are set in stone. We are excited to play Pukkelpop in the summer and our going to be releasing details of a special London headline show very soon!
Got any other projects we should know about?
We are currently involved in the creation of a line of mens tights. This and the music are really the only things we have time for.
What movie would work best on mute while listening to you music?
You can only keep/listen to ONE album for the rest of your life ..which album would it be?
I would be reluctant to choose something I like because I would learn to hate it if it was the only thing I could listen to. Given that this was pretty much the only thing we listened to as kids and it has so many vibes we would go for Kerrang Vol 4 (2002).
Are you living your dream?
::whoops!:: CB forgot this one:(
(..we'll assume they're REM bliss incarnate;])
Thanx CB and Chris!
Cloud Boat are currently touring Europe, and yes, I'm going to say "hopefully soon here (the US) too"...
