Artificial Clouds

iTunes Review

After moving west to Oakland from Memphis, Mustachioed frontman Matthew Melton formed the band Snake Flower 2 – a hyperactive hipster-punk trio specializing in catchy, lo-fi, temper tantrums. Stone-stepping into Bare Wires, Melton brought with him some identical textures from his preceding project, as well as plenty of that Memphis garage punk. Artificial Clouds is a promising debut album, especially for fans of Cheap Time and Jay Reatard (who mastered the album), as the familiar sounding title-track opens to reveal an apple that hasn’t fallen far from the tree. But the more rocking “Loner” brings a less predictable chemistry to the table as drummer Erin Emslie of the Time Flys imports some of her affinity for ‘70s power-pop and British glam. Once you get past the catty scenester lyrics of “Go Away Frankie” you can hear an attraction to classic punk’s take on ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll. Similarly, “Are You Taking Her Home?” shows more promise with less pointed teenage themes sung in earnest to the kind of punk-filtered rock ‘n’ roll normally associated with bands like the Real Kids.