Josh Holliday of Dots & Dashes introduces the “wistful splendour” of A. Crusher
But who IS this enigmatic ensemble, listed only as “Cloud” on the comp’s set list? To be frank, I’m still not entirely sure, but here are the concrete facts: 1) Cloud are a trio based in New York, 2) they’ve signed on to Audio Antihero, and 3) their first single is out right now as a pay-what-you want download.
There are only a couple of Young War tracks currently online, a demo of ‘Say That It’s Love’ and free download ‘Rose Gold’. The former track offers forth Stone’s soulful vocal alongside Timbaland-inspired beats, whereas the latter opts for more of a smooth grooves feel, complete with sleazy guitar licks.
They’re from California, and you can tell. Which is a good thing. The melodies are sunny and you can almost feel scorching sand bouncing off the bass drum…and again, that’s a good thing, even if you hate sand (and I fucking do).
Fox & Woman formed in 2010 when Jess Silva (vocals), Andrew Nelson(guitar, keys), and Emily Haltom (vocals, violin, keys) started playing at a weekly street poetry gathering in San Francisco’s Mission District. As an acoustic trio, they rehearsed and wrote songs in the basement of a local antiques store, discovering a shared desire to stretch pop song forms to accommodate unconventional rhythms and harmonies.