review: cloudfall - days of wind

It's not often enough that I get the chance to put my thoughts down on releases of independent artists that are relatively new to putting out music and don't have the benefits of great promotion. So it warms my heart when I actually find a very strong outing that might seemingly go unnoticed and be able to use the music in a session in hopes that it will put the artist's names out there for others to discover. CLOUDFALL is one such discovery for me. Oftentimes, I'll go on Bandcamp in search of what I can get for free so that I can sprinkle future mixes with unknown artists that happened to surface (and not end up broke from it!). I came across Cloudfall's release DAYS OF WIND, and can't sing enough praises about it. With new artists, it happens that one song stands out and the rest is filler. This is not the case with Cloudfall. I've managed to use (quite effortlessly) quite a few colors in the last three mixes (WHEN NIGHT MEETS LIGHT, MUSIC FOR STARGAZING, and ODE TO THE COSMIC VOYAGER). I got a chance to communicate with Cloudfall, and his means for creating his sonic ventures, while simple in design, are complex in delivery. This unassumingly astonishing release delivers a mountain of emotive sound that is wrapped in an honesty and intensity.

Days Of Wind is a well put together aural journey that borrows from the best pioneers in the current post-rock/ambient field. Every unfolding moment becomes intentional, and every means of delivering the right mood is executed with precise imagination. This release was recorded over a 6 year period, and it's this attention to detail that solidifies its integrity in the ambient world in which it is birthed. The most remarkable aspect of this release is that there are absolutely no samples, field recordings, or other instruments other than guitar (!). To realize this was, for me, a real game changer in the possibilities that are only hampered by doubts in creative genius. While the overall theme is one of dark melancholy, Days Of Wind is precise with the mood and ambiance, and the result is a reflection of the intention. The soundscapes are very well thought out and meticulous in their composition. I'm hoping that in the near future we will have the opportunity to be blessed with more releases of this magnitude.

You can hear more Cloudfall on his SOUNDCLOUD page. Tell him that Tonepoet sent you. Peace.

//tonepoet//