| cLOUDDEAD's debut record was the work of Doseone, why?, and odd nosdam. Reactions to the record are polarized; one either "doesn't get it," or one's perceptions of music are eternally changed. Count me in the second category; cLOUDDEAD is my Loveless, a record so amazing and fundamentally DIFFERENT that it opens up new pathways in my brain, triggering new thought processes that I never imagined possible. And this isn't even hyperbole. Reaching Quiet is cLOUDDEAD minus Doseone (the primary "rapper" and overwhelming hip-hop presence in the group), and In the Shadow of the Living Room is their debut record. And it's different. In the Shadow of the Living Room works in an entirely different idiom than cLOUDDEAD - it's indie-rock-but-not, just as cLOUDDEAD was hip-hop-but-not. Sure, why? raps on the record but he also sings, talks, moans, and makes weird noises. He multitracks his voice and harmonizes. He packs a mean falsetto. odd nosdam's production is stranger than ever. And the songs? There are echoes of the Danielson Familee, Of Montreal, and Joy Division, all filtered through Midwestern bedroom hip-hop. It's as strange as it sounds - the album's strongest track, "Broken Crow" sounds like Joy Division's "New Dawn Fades" as filtered through hip-hop. In the Shadow of the Living Room is all over the map, and at twenty-five-plus tracks, it's not entirely cohesive; but considering that why? and odd nosdam are taking music in new, unheard directions, it's a valiant step. - Fine Print |
2XLP/Out Of Print