Upon first listen, this album seemed very disappointing. Rather than speaking in a crystal clear manner,
Clouds builds upon itself and takes the listener numerous times to fully gather in all the intricacies which it produces. Tracks such as the closing piece, "There Will Be Clouds," showcase the band's ability to take a routine pop song and deconstruct it into an improvisation based on five simple notes. They thereby stretch out a three-minute song into a 14-minute extemporization. Other songs like "Swope" display
the Ivory Coast with a keen ear for harmonics, distortion, and intriguing guitar work. The drum work is twitchy and infective; coupled with the bass, it makes for a good rhythm section thus providing the basis for vocalist
Jay Cox's slightly off-key singing and the impassioned guitar playing. A burgeoning album for a group who showcase their ability to flourish musically, too. ~ Kurt Morris