This review was written in response to a submission to BDCwire’s “Review Anything August” campaign. The opinions in this review are those solely of the author and not of BDCwire as a publication. Stay tuned to BDCwire for more reviews from this feature.
I’ll confess to a bit of close-mindedness when it comes to music that isn’t songs. I’m a big fan of the verse-chorus-verse-chorus structure. I’m known to dismiss minimalist, instrumental exertions as dull and/or pompous. But despite his blatant sounds > songs approach, Nathaniel Noton-Freeman’s “Cloud Machines” makes my brain feel quite pleasant. Knowing me, I should hate this, but I don’t. It’s as if the Pine Tree State denizen built a psychic bridge between whale mating calls and Alcest, and at its midpoint, set up a yoga mat upon which he sits and meditates. This record makes ideal white noise for studying, data entry, or any number of tasks that require your total focus and long periods of tedium.
