One of the most defining moments in modern music occurred in August 1986, when Paul Simon released the groundbreaking
Graceland LP. The majority of the album was recorded in South Africa and shot the Mbaqanga musical style into the Western mainstream.
While such a style was indeed influential before this point, suddenly it became “the thing to do” – and even Disney took this on board heading into production on The Lion King a few years later. In more recent times, with a prevalence of the DJ beat taking over the airwaves, its influence has been far less noticeable, especially in Australia.
But out of the blue comes Cloud Control from the Blue Mountains – one of this website’s favourite live bands. The raw, catchy tracks off of their self-titled EP have kept us dancing for a good year now – and now their LP is (finally) just around the corner. And if their new single “Gold Canary” is any indication, it seems there are some fantastic musical treats on the way.
Combining their usual flair, with a similar South African vibe to what made Graceland such a fantastic album, Cloud Control have brought us one of the catchiest and most impressive local tracks of the year. The beat is simple, but fierce, when combined with the Mbaqanga-inspired backing vocals, and the simple lyrics match the soul of their music perfectly. Also, the fact that a brief interlude featuring Doctor Who-esque keyboards actually WORKS, is a testament to how good these guys are at constructing a tune.
Now there’s no saying if they actually went to South Africa for inspiration for the album (we’ll have to ask!), but if anything, they’re showing off the styles of music they would have listened to growing up in the Blue Mountains – appropriating it and making it completely their own. And if their excellently simplistic 80s-inspired video clip is anything to go by, they watched plenty of music television as well.
Single Score: 9/10
Video Score: 7.5/10
CHECK OUT THE MUSIC VIDEO FOR “GOLD CANARY”
Cloud Control touring with Leader Cheetah Nov/Dec 09
Check out our Gig Guide for the dates!
