Album of the Week: Cloud Control
Cloud Control’s fourth album ZONE took almost as many years to write, record and produce, but damn has it been well worth the wait. The album comes brimming with the familiar psych-pop sound that helped developed their formative fan-base, and a new edge that boasts a colourful array of synths and hooky vocals. Dynamic production handled by singer and guitarist Alister Wright is borderline orchestral in its nuance; vocalist and keyboardist Heidi Lenffer contributes some of the albums most engaging tracks (Panopticon, Goldfish, Treetops) and percussionist Ulrich Lenffer deliver’s solid rhythmic feel throughout.
ZONE is a testament to perseverance, but also to having a relaxed view about what success is, since the albums embrace of the spontaneous and the particular is so embedded within its creation. From the sobered meditative edge of ZONE (this is how it feels) to the fuzzed-out psych-pop of Rainbow City, Cloud Control’s fourth album is evidence of the trio in top form; a euphoric triumph that balances a sound that is both familiar and fresh.
