Every song Cloud Cult play resonates with truth. With the release of their live-recorded album, Unplug April 15, that truth is even more evident than on previous studio records, adding a sense of vulnerability and intimacy to an already genuine band.
Authenticity has always been important to the Minneapolis band. After beginning as the solo project of Craig Minowa in 1995, Cloud Cult repeatedly turned down major record label offers in order to maintain control over their sound. The result is a hauntingly beautiful and honest record that radiates pain, but also healing.
Heartbreaking lyrics reflect on the human desire to understand the world, especially on tracks like “Ghost Inside Our House.” Minowa sings, “Please send us a miracle so I know that there is meaning / I said I think that it’s a miracle just to be breathing.”
In 2002 Minowa tragically lost his young son and wrote over a hundred songs to cope with his grief. Songs such as “Purpose” show a transition to metaphysical questions about the meaning of life. This desperate yearning vibrates in lyrics like “There must be healing here because everyone here has been damaged.” But Minowa undermines his own optimism saying, “The end comes quick as a bullet.”
Between tracks Minowa tells the audience about the time after his son died when he wanted to give up, but he wrote “We Made up Your Mind for You” and “That Man Jumped out the Window” about deciding to carry on. The choice to be hopeful for the future is up to you because, in Minowa’s words, “There is a fine line between falling and flying.”
With 17 tracks, Unplug is on the longer side, and occasional missteps, such as needing to restart “Pretty Voice,” remind the listener that this is a live-recorded album—flaws and all. These imperfections make the tracks more vulnerable and relatable. No auto-tune, no perfectly placed chords—just organic music coming as close to perfection as possible, with blemishes to remind us that we are all still human.
Rating: A
