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Elly Roberts reviews

The Cloud Room: The Cloud Room

Distributed by
A&G Records

March 2008

Rating: 10/10

Look out! Here come hot-steppers The Cloud Room.

Big on the NY scene, this Brooklyn-based quintet is going to set the pace for American bands in 2008.

Comparisons may be drawn with Brit sensations Kaiser Chiefs, but not quite as edgy, they’re probably closer to Razorlight, mixed with a bit of Magic Numbers, who they’ve already supported. This is 21century American pop at its very best.

Taking their name from the speakeasy at the top of New York’s Chrysler building during prohibition, they – J. Stuart, Jon Petrow, Jason Pharr, Dave Horowitz and Steve Milton have put together a pretty darned impressive album full of anthemic pop gems.

Vocally, Stuart sometimes has tinge of a young Lou Reed especially on the New Order-esque We Sleep In The Oceans. The muffled fade-in for UK bonus track Sunset Song eventually reveals a wondrous melodic belter, leaving us to think its another Coldplay, and thankfully its not as single Blackout shows a band with a totally different ear for a funky and catchy hook.

Hey Now Now (used in the Pepsi Max ad featuring Brazilian soccer ace Ronaldinho) is a swaggering and thrusting out-and-out pop classic that Bowie (who’s a big fan) would be proud of from his mid-80s disco period. Showing a tender side, Sunlight Song is a mid-course smoothy followed by a retro-Blondie-like new wave classic full of easy beats and a big, simple chorus.

Again, Beautiful Mess fits the dance floor bill, matching anything The Killers and BodyRockers have hit us with. Of all the wonders here, Blue Jean is the jewel in the crown – a stirring and happy go lucky chorus complete with stadium rock guitar solo. Qualifying heir stadium potential, they dare to do a U2 onslaught on Follow Me, which would have been perfect for the Joshua Tree.

File under: America’s next stadium rockers.

Weblinks: thecloudroom.com / myspace.com/thecloudroomuk / agrecords.co.uk

The full list of tracks included are :

(* UK bonus tracks) 1. Sunset Song * 2. Blackout! 3. Waterfall 4. Hey Now Now 5. Devoured In Peace 6. Sunlight Song 7. Beautiful Mess 8. The Hunger 9. O My Love 10. Blue Jean 11. We Sleep In The Ocean 12. Follow Me * 13. Sunlight Reprise

Review & concert pics copyright © Elly Roberts, 2004-2010.

As of April 2009, Blu-rays and DVDs reviewed by the editor are watched on a Panasonic TH-37PX80B 37" Plasma TV with a Sony BDP-1500 Blu-ray player and played through a Yamaha DSP-AX820 amplifier.

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