the fear of low flying clouds review

review taken from sponic

This Dayton duo, comprised of Dave Doughman (guitars, vocals) and local music guru Don Thrasher (drums) produce short, fully-evolved snippets of lo-fi rock that gleam like crystals in sunlight. The songs are relatively brief and, upon the first listen, pretty spare. However, after allowing the songs to wind their way through your mind several times, the complex layers of vocals and oddly-tuned guitars become apparent.

Doughman's diverse and clever lyrics are revealed on songs such as "Reluctant Pilgrim" and "Foolish Mortal," whereas his inclination toward jangly, raw guitars and stop-start chord changes shows up on "Nice Guys Last Finish" and "Bars Close" (an alternate version of a Tuesdays Pretzel Night song).. The opening, and most powerful lines of the album set a melancholy tone. Haunting guitar notes echo over Dave's soft voice in the background of "Declaration of Co-Dependence" as he sings, "And like ice it will melt before it breaks, it's too late I'm affected/Blindly wager without knowing the stakes, as if fate had selected."

Swearing at Motorists also do justice to Beck's One Foot in the Grave ditty "I Get Lonesome," somehow managing to sound even more lonesome than the original. Without a doubt, though, the gem of Fear is "Sometimes Better Than Others," a song with the most beautifully depressing melodies and soft guitars this side of Nick Drake and Red House Painters.

The Fear of Low Flying Clouds is a close, condensed view of Doughman and Thrasher's world. The vocals and instruments on this album are so analog-warm you might think the band is in the next room.

John Wenzel

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