Cloud Cult's Droplets of Wisdom Build You Up From The Inside

Listening to Minnesota outfit Cloud Cult's "Love" closely resembles sitting around the dining room table with those nearest, and we hope under the best of circumstances dearest, to swap stories of how the day went. If Clarice the nephew was having problems understanding what her full potential might be then Uncle Max could assuage her worries with "You're The Only Thing In Your Way". Gliding along unencumbered by worries of this earth, she'd come to understand potential never truly is out of one's reach so much as we push  it away with needless head games which didn't appear needless at the time. Daniel Zamzow adds bottomless moral substance with his mighty cello. Shannon Frid-Rubin brings violin to the mix. Her notes give "Thing" the weightlessness a sky's the limit fantasy often requires. Arlen Peiffer drums as if he knows the right path is his for the pursuing. Suppose Aunt Mona is passing around the biscuits and grape jelly. She senses this treat would fit nicely while her son Bradley grapples with uncontrollable moodiness of the sort proposed by "It's Your Decision". Jekyll and Hyde are slugging it out not just in lyrical context but in the way the instrumental jigsaw puzzle comes together. The first half is all about rising thunderhead clouds. At the midway point the dam breaks, and rain comes crashing down. Sarah Elhard-Perbix's keyboards, Shannon's violin, and Arlen's drums inject a pronounced boldfaced type into the heightened anguish. Brad's bout with strum und drang inspires no strings sympathy. Max's highly rebellious twin brother Derek trembles with the outrage meter at 7 or higher. He'd feel better about inhabiting his own skin after a strong dose of "1 X 1 X 1". Of all 13 tracks it  veers into take no prisoners territory the most. Arlen stays in fifth gear. Rolling with the punches is the implied  message. The fictional family I've cobbled together from scraps has reached the main course, a pot roast that appears generous enough to feed every family of four on the block. The brood starts getting nostalgic over the best friends they ever encountered. "Good Friend" would be a fabulous musical go with. Cloud Cult gushes over how's it 's all anyone really ever needs in a tumultuous world that's locked, loaded, and determined to bump you off. Shannon's violin playing represents proper social grace, whereas Arlen's boisterous drumming signifies the playfulness of jumping in newly compiled piles of leaves. Dad would be a little put off but he'd soften after seeing his progeny bask in the silliness of their guileless pursuit. "Meet Me Where You Going" delivers salt of the earth plainspoken respect between man and what hopefully is soon to be wife. The long time couples will be more likely to stare into each others eyes knowingly while the unsteady newbies riding the marriage go-round will start to feel less ill at ease. Wiping the instrument slate clean at the close works wonders. Nothing to come between listener and wannabe married couple except a folksy hint of a capella. Gravitas and punch intersect with "It Takes a Lot". Craig Minowa, the teller of inescapable truths throughout this collection poses the question, "Why do we get what we've got?" Delicateness of source material up top. Relentless rumble beneath. "The Calling" barrels ahead with piercing affirmation of how we're not just here as twisted comedy relief for the man upstairs. Shannon's violin strikes bittersweet chords. Arlen's bravado extends for days. Craig conducts himself with an unshakable sense of self at the epicenter. All the melodrama pays off handsomely. Much like the family assembled around a gingham blue tablecloth to spin yarns, tell tales, and chew basic fat, you too will be treated to a full banquet thanks to Cloud Cult. No empty calories here. Only captivating stories visited and revisited by a tribe of minstrels who are versed enough in direction finding that you're highly confident bread crumbs aren't necessary. "Love" is lovable on a variety of levels.