Clouds - Sydney, Australia Band - 1990s

 

Clouds are one of my favourite Australian bands, and they seemed to get lost in the shuffle, which is a shame, as they were a quality band.

They formed in Sydney in 1989, and the core of the band was two females: Jodie Phillis on guitar, and Trish Young on bass. Both have great voices, and they both write songs. They usually sang together on their songs, and their voices were a great fit. If you like the female voice then you are in for a treat. Here's a brief overview of their discography: EP: 'Cloud Factory' - 1990 EP: 'Loot' - 1991 (#22) LP: 'Penny Century' - 1991 (#23). Singles: 'Hieronymus' (#45), and 'Anthem' (#47) LP: "Octopus' - 1992 (#24). Single: 'Say It' (#56) LP: 'Thunderhead' - 1993 (#30). Singles: 'Bower of Bliss' (#69), and 'Alchemy's Dead' (failed to chart) EP: 'Beetroot' - 1994 (#65) EP: 'Aquamarine' - 1995 (#72) EP: 'Panel Van' - 1995 (failed to chart) LP: 'Futura' - 1996 (#50). Singles: 'Here Now', and 'Never Say Never' (both failed to chart) They were quite popular with 'indie rock'/'alternative' fans, but didn't seem to reach a mainstream audience, as shown by the chart placings. But sometimes, good music isn't commercially popular or successful. 4 albums, and 5 EPs is not bad for 6 years of output. Now to the music. Clouds started slowly, but their debut 'Penny Century' is pretty solid. Lots of very good songs, and no duds. Often my favourite songs aren't the singles, but the other tracks, like 'Foxes Wedding' and 'Fantastic Tear'. For me, 'Octopus' is the peak of their powers. Effortless cool, concise, catchy songs with some experimentation, that linger for years. Near perfect album. 'Thunderhead' the next album was not a disappointment. A bit more experimentation than 'Octopus' but a very good album. By the 'Beetroot' EP I felt things were declining a bit. The songs were good, but the magic had gone. I didn't buy the last two EPs. The last album 'Futura' was a little disappointing. It's good, but not to the high standard of the first 3 albums. If you want to check out Clouds for yourself, I've made a Spotify playlist of their best songs in chronological order: 21 in total, here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1OaXfQwBS1QNE5BWiw1ozT