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SMC: Cloud Cult ~ Advice From the Happy Hippopotamus

mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
edited August 2006 in Other Music
Alright here is my pick for the week. The band comes from Minneapolis, MN and all of their records are made in the lead singers house on his own label that he calls Earthology Records.

Everything on the album is 100 Percent recycled; this includes the CD, the digipack, the ink, and even the shrink wrap that the CD comes in.

Their music draws themes of hope, political frustration, and an enthusiasm for life. (sound familiar?)

This is a flat out indie rock album with elements of electronics, the album is filled with solid tunes and awesome Rhythms and beats.

there are a lot of untitled tracks however there is only one with an actual song the rest are just gaps of silence.

I was going to add an official review from amazon or pitchfork but i'd figure it would be nice to hear our discussion on the album with a blank palette on what to expect.
I think you'll find the album most enjoyable if you listen to it in order so,
here is the tracklist.
1. Intro
2. Living On The Ouside Of Your Skin
3. Happy Hippo
4. What Comes At The End
5. You Got Your Bones To Make A Beat
6. Untitled Track
7. Washed Your Car
8. Transistor Radio
9. What It Feels Like To Be Alive
10. Moving To Canada
11. Start New
12. Car Wash
13. Light At The End Of The Tunnel
14. Million Things
15. Can't Stop The Journey Now
16. Clip-Clop
17. Training Wheels
18. We Made Up Your Mind For You
19. That Man Jumped Out The Window
20. Untitled Track
21. Lucky Today
22. Untitled Track
23. Rockwell
24. Untitled Track
25. Untitled Track
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Post edited by Unknown User on
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Comments

  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    I'm really looking forward to this pick.....sounds like an album I'd enjoy.


    I'll give it a spin and post a review when it sinks in.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    I hear they have a groovy single from this album, I'll have to check it out
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    and the link is up now!!!!
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    bump...the link expires in 6 days
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  • transplanttransplant Posts: 1,088
    anyone who discovered Jesus at the bottom of a can of Colt 45 can't be all bad. Nice Neil nod as well. This will take a few spins for sure however so far a nice start to what could be an excellent spring/summer selection.
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    I've listened up through track 13....some pretty strange stuff on here.....the standout track so far is #4.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,246
    I'm from Minneapolis and I've never heard of them. I look forward to checking it out.
  • psycosmicpsycosmic Posts: 504
    i casually listened to this once so far... and i have to say that i enjoyed it...
    i haven't read any reviews but i'm sure everyone compares them to bright eyes or the arcade fire... basically lo-fi indie rock...
    there are some tracks i enjoyed more than others... i think it's a good summer album...

    have to give it some more spins though...
    ~~~
    Some days you wake up and sit on a park bench next to an eighty year old Russian architect, and some days you don't. I think this is my new life philosophy.

    http://epplehausradio.blogspot.com/

    pearl jam @ the astoria, london, 20/04/06
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    link expires in 5 days

    these guys actually have been around longer than both Arcade Fire and Bright Eyes. This is their 4th or 5th album...i cant remember.

    I havent really heard of any comaparisons yet. The album was nominated for best album of the year by the Minnesota Music Awards.
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
  • AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,246
    This is fucking AWESOME.
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    AndySlash wrote:
    This is fucking AWESOME.

    glad you like it. They recently did an in store preformance at the Electric Fetus (i used to be from minneapolis) so keep your eyes peeled for a live show.

    they're playing in seattle at the crocodile soon as well.
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
  • burnin-candleburnin-candle Posts: 158
    This is excellent, I'm thoroughly enjoying this.

    I hear some Beck and even hip hop somewhere in there, which is really nice.:)

    But the important thing is, it has some great melodies and riffs.

    Cheers.
    "If hope can grow from dirt like me, it can be done"

    If you can't get high on purely music and the sounds that you hear, you're missing out on something.
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    glad everyone is liking it, the link expires in 4 days for those who havent gotten to it yet.

    Someone mentioned the nod to neil young in the song Advice from the happy hippo.

    The lead singer's son died at the age of two, and i think to me that song is about the frustrations and grieving with his son's death. Its sounds as though there is a bit of a not so sure/ironic tone when he sings "it's better to burn out then to fade away".
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  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    really been digging this lately!

    great pick.

    I said I'd review it but I've been pretty busy this week (goddamn english essays) so hopefully I can get around to making some sort of commentary sooner or later.

    track 4 is still my favorite.

    thats sad about his son though. What exactly happened?
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    here's a paragraph taken from the band's bio on their website:

    Tragedy came in February of 2002, when his two year old son unexpectedly passed away in the middle of the night. Minowa and his wife (a high school sweetheart) separated shortly after that, due to the intense emotions of the loss. After that, Minowa fell into hermithood on his small dilapidated farm in Northern Minnesota. Over the next year, Minowa wrote over 100 new songs, in an effort to deal with the loss.
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    mookeywrench wrote:
    here's a paragraph taken from the band's bio on their website:

    Tragedy came in February of 2002, when his two year old son unexpectedly passed away in the middle of the night. Minowa and his wife (a high school sweetheart) separated shortly after that, due to the intense emotions of the loss. After that, Minowa fell into hermithood on his small dilapidated farm in Northern Minnesota. Over the next year, Minowa wrote over 100 new songs, in an effort to deal with the loss.

    :( gosh thats awful.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • transplanttransplant Posts: 1,088
    StoneG82 wrote:
    :( gosh thats awful.
    wow, you are not kidding. simply horrible. I will probably now listen to that disc in a whole new light now.

    I really do like this selection. It reminds me of the first time way back when I first listened to the Flaming Lips. It had such an intrigue on me, I couldn't quite place why I enjoyed it so much. It was so different, and I feel this selection has its own sound, I couldn't really come up with a musical comparison.

    I am now going to listen again and pay attention to the lyrics. man, how sad.
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    transplant wrote:
    wow, you are not kidding. simply horrible. I will probably now listen to that disc in a whole new light now.

    I really do like this selection. It reminds me of the first time way back when I first listened to the Flaming Lips. It had such an intrigue on me, I couldn't quite place why I enjoyed it so much. It was so different, and I feel this selection has its own sound, I couldn't really come up with a musical comparison.

    I am now going to listen again and pay attention to the lyrics. man, how sad.

    it really sheds new light on the "better to burn out, than to fade away" Neil reference, and it makes "What Comes At The End" much more sad.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
  • swedeswede Posts: 558
    ill get it first thing tomorrow morning. cheers
  • AndySlashAndySlash Posts: 3,246
    What I like about this record the most is that it is all over the map, and it basically contains every type of music that I enjoy. One song sounds like Blind Melon, then another like Godspeed, then another like Caribou... and so on yadda yadda. All bands whose styles I love, and these guys do it all on one album! This album is just phenomenal.

    I mentioned them at a friends house the other night and his roommate knows someone from the band. Which made it all the more baffling that I had never heard of them.
  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    Yeah this album is excellent
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • transplanttransplant Posts: 1,088
    mookeywrench, do you have any more of their CD's? wondering what their others were like.
  • karma defectkarma defect Posts: 5,483
    Help I don't know how to download this. Can anyone help?
    « One man's glory is another man's hell.
    You’re on the outside, never bound by such a spell.
    Together in the darkness, alone in the light.
    I took it upon me to be yours, Timmy,
    I’ll lead your angels and demons at play tonight......»
  • ZepZachZepZach Posts: 30
    Im curious, but too late. I'll find it somehow.
  • karma defectkarma defect Posts: 5,483
    ZepZach wrote:
    Im curious, but too late. I'll find it somehow.


    How will you find out?
    « One man's glory is another man's hell.
    You’re on the outside, never bound by such a spell.
    Together in the darkness, alone in the light.
    I took it upon me to be yours, Timmy,
    I’ll lead your angels and demons at play tonight......»
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    transplant wrote:
    mookeywrench, do you have any more of their CD's? wondering what their others were like.
    if you like this album you'll like their others; its the same vibe.

    the only problem is that, apart from happy hippo, they're hard to find unless you're in MN
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  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    Okay so this one has some songs I don't dig, songs I really like, and songs I am indifferent to but would form an opinion of eventually. I really like "Million Things," "Transistor Radio," and "Washed Your Car," especially. The voice doesn't bother me, and the guitar lines are usually snappy, and it blends with some electronic beats really nicely.

    Some songs kinda suck though. Namely "Moving To Canada," which I don't dig at all - "Clip Clop" is better but stil annoys me a bit
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • mookeywrenchmookeywrench Posts: 5,903
    Echoes wrote:
    Okay so this one has some songs I don't dig, songs I really like, and songs I am indifferent to but would form an opinion of eventually. I really like "Million Things," "Transistor Radio," and "Washed Your Car," especially. The voice doesn't bother me, and the guitar lines are usually snappy, and it blends with some electronic beats really nicely.

    Some songs kinda suck though. Namely "Moving To Canada," which I don't dig at all - "Clip Clop" is better but stil annoys me a bit


    moving to Canada is one of my faves
    350x700px-LL-d2f49cb4_vinyl-needle-scu-e1356666258495.jpeg
  • EchoesEchoes Posts: 1,279
    mookeywrench wrote:
    moving to Canada is one of my faves


    I dunno, never really clicked the 4 or 5 times I heard it.
    printf("shiver in eternal darkness\n");
  • StoneG82StoneG82 Posts: 806
    Echoes wrote:
    Okay so this one has some songs I don't dig, songs I really like, and songs I am indifferent to but would form an opinion of eventually. I really like "Million Things," "Transistor Radio," and "Washed Your Car," especially. The voice doesn't bother me, and the guitar lines are usually snappy, and it blends with some electronic beats really nicely.

    Some songs kinda suck though. Namely "Moving To Canada," which I don't dig at all - "Clip Clop" is better but stil annoys me a bit

    I agree with the above statement. I really like some songs on this, especially "What Comes At the End", and then theres stuff that I really don't like, for instance, "You Got Your Bones To Make A Beat" which I rarely make it through.

    overall it's a strong, varied record. The high points definitely make up for the weaker tracks.
    "What’s Orphans? I don’t know. Orphans is a dead end kid driving a coffin with big tires across the Ohio River wearing welding goggles and a wife beater with a lit firecracker in his ear." - Tom Waits
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