Cloudship

Cloudship, the new"mini-super group" from Blind Bison's Brandon Freeman and Before Perils' Jonathan Napoles, makes magic with a set of songs that are righteous and unafraid. While still showing the influence of their main bands (which is a good thing, given the caliber of the two groups), Cloudship manages to forge its own path with a mix of folk, blues, and psychedelia. The simple instrumentation of songs like "The Hangover" seemed designed to strip away all pretension, aiming straight for the soul. Album opener "Sail to Heaven" seems destined to soundtrack the wide eyed exploits of the young traveler. And impressive closer "Out of the Darkness" does exactly that; soundtracking the a journey through the padded rooms of an insane asylum, like only the best Pink Floyd songs can. It's a pleasure to behold. - Spanspek

Cloudship is a simple two-piece rock outfit that uses their signature mix of experimental rock, blues, psychedelia and soul to stand out amongst the crowd. On their release titled Sail to Heaven Brandon Freeman’s vocals are on point and show range, restraint and all around great tone all the way until the end. True rock is becoming a dying breed but Freeman could find himself there if the stars aligned. Until then Cloudship’s melting pot will be his home and it’s no real sacrifice anyway. His voice takes flight with even just the simplest of accompaniment.

This mini super group makes magic with a set of songs that are bold and unapologetic, capable of simplicity and soul. The title track “Sail To Heaven” is strong and catchy showcasing Freeman’s power and poignant songwriting. The acoustic guitar is his only friend and it’s all he needs. The intro is just a sweeping melody, weightless and calm with a sense of wonder. His vocal performance is soulful and full of emotion. When the drums enter is creates kinetic energy and when they are removed a serene calm reinstated.

I was left a little confused after hearing the group’s cover of Johnny Cash’s cover of Nine Inch Nails’ “Hurt.” The production is weak considering so much of the room can be heard in the recording. Also, there’s the intermittent laughter of an infant amidst the verse breaks. Puzzling.

“The Hangover” moves with an implied groove a la Incubus and the vocals are beautifully done, showing range and intensity at just the right times.

Finishing off the album is the epic “Out of the Darkness.” It’s the first and only taste of electric guitar, but it delivers enough to make up for the earlier lacking. Nothing flashy or over the top, just a vibrato tone bending in and out and helping the song come to life like a late ‘80s ballad. The song continues adding more layers of emotion and you forget that this is just a duo. Their powerhouse delivery isn’t bombastic, but for the most part it’s full sounding and polished. Now think what a little drums could do….
Become A Fan - The Equal Ground

A pop/R&B singer and a metal musician walk into a recording studio… no, it’s not the beginning of a joke. The two members of Cloudship, Brandon Freeman and Jonathan Napoles, had been friends for most of their lives, according to their press release, and started making music together because they were ?the only full-time musicians in their circle of friends.”

Rather than do some odd mash-up of the duo’s past primary influences, Cloudship bring to the table a somewhat minimal and definitely unique sound centered around acoustic guitars, atmospheric Eno-esque keyboards and Freeman’s soulful vocals. “City Boy” deliberately contradicts the song’s title with a folk-guitar stomp, while “The Hangover” is the group’s take on blues feeling without falling into the trap of the standard blues chord sequence.

The almost twelve-minute long epic closer “Out of the Darkness” trades in the acoustic guitar for some distorted bluesly single-note riffs, and puts the synthesizers to the side in favor of some John Lennon-style grand piano chords for the first part of the song, before switching gears to a 5/8 time signature briefly. The rest of the track continues to change pace in an almost prog-rock-like manner without relying on unnecessary filler, before returning to the way the piece started, with the Lennon piano chords and single-note electric guitar. It’s a fitting conclusion to a fittingly unique mini-album. -