JT & THE CLOUDS’ press release asserts that they play “Chicago music”. I’m not quite sure what to make of that because the great Windy City has bequeathed us everything from the gritty Chess Records blues sound through to Wilco’s envelope-shoving Alt. Roots and Tortoise’s ambient meanderings over the past five decades.
However, if we translate “Chicago music” to mean a record shot full of presence, inspiration and a goodly dash of Soul then ‘Caledonia’ fits the bill very happily indeed. Led by the vocally dextrous Jeremy ‘JT’ Lindsey, The Clouds are a versatile sextet with confidence in their step and groove in their heart. They have been recording and touring since around 2004 and clearly understand each other very well by now.
Accordingly, ‘Caledonia’ is inventive, quietly virtuosic and quite often sublime. Tracks like the Gospel-sprinkled opener ‘Fever Dream’ and the coquettish Soul-Pop of ‘Playin’ Dozens’ find the earthy R’n’B roots of the band’s hometown showing through, while the celebratory ‘Grow Your Flowers’ finds clicky, David Byrne-style guitar figures, handclaps, accordions and sunny Afro grooves melding seamlessly. Despite its’ mournful title, ‘Funeral’ is a belter too, with organs, clavinets and a supple bassline spine suggesting the most upbeat of wakes rather than a gloomy, rain-drenched churchyard.
Elsewhere, they mine a deeper seam of melancholia. ‘Low July’ is probably the closest they get to chugging guitar pop, although Lindsey’s yearning croon and some stinging guitar work quickly elevate them from anything resembling standard Indie fare. The title track, meanwhile, is an effectively moody anthem with Lindsey’s acrobatic vocals recalling Jeff Buckley. Arguably even better are the likes of ‘I Have Heard Words’ and ‘Nobody Wants to Be Alone, Nobody Wants to Die’, where they slow it right down. The former is a graceful, Soul-infused seduction pepped up by passionate, close-miked vocals and Stax-style horns, while ‘Nobody Wants to be Alone, Nobody Wants to Die’ employs tumbling pianos, funereal organs and a vocal tour de force from Lindsey to celebrate life and attempt to come to terms with what comes after. Very sensibly, it provides the conclusion because they’d struggle to find anything to follow it. At least until the next time around.
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Intelligent, superior of groove and unafraid to plumb the emotional depths, ‘Caledonia’ is the sort of record that respects its history and the DNA of Rock’n’Roll, yet at the same time understands the importance of sailing uncharted waters. It’s an affecting listen and suggests JT & The Clouds are indeed proud purveyors of memorable "Chicago" music.
JT & The Clouds on Myspace
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