Freeclouds

iTunes Review

A former member of Tulsa and a current guitarist with Lower Dens, Carter Tanton is developing into a versatile singer/songwriter as well. On his self-produced second solo release, he sends creative sparks off in several directions to deliver an accomplished and lushly recorded album. Starting with the dreamy country-rock of “Murderous Joy,” the album quickly switches gears with “Fake Pretend,” a textured, technicolor burst of ideas featuring vocals by Marissa Nadler. Detours into noisy power pop (“Horrorscope”) and synth-pop (“Land Lines”) are balanced by “In Knots” and his cover of Sparklehorse’s “Saturday,” two melancholy strummers well-suited to Tanton’s rich and expressive voice. The aptly titled “Gauze of a Song,” “Pasture Sound,” and the brilliant “Pitch Bent Flue” form their own subset of the album, built around acoustic guitar supported by textured beats and wavy layers of sound. Tightly arranged and enveloped in a warm atmospheric haze, Freeclouds shines from many different angles.