If this album could be summed up with one sentence, it would “Finding the light in the darkness.” The Seeker is a concept album focused on the struggle we have as humans to find meaning in our lives. The lyrics reflect this by musing on the importance of relationships and taking advantage of the short time we have here on Earth.
Cloud Cult is described as an “experimental indie rock” band, which describes their sound on some of their earlier albums. However, there is much more Americana (folk and alternative country) than rock on The Seeker. Listening to some of their earlier output, one might use a descriptor like “quirky,” but The Seeker is a pretty serious album all around.
The first word that comes to mind with the music is “cinematic.” This is not too surprising because the music from The Seeker will be used for a feature length film written by the band and coming out Summer 2016. Seriously, look it up. As far as music goes, it alternates between lush, epic orchestral ecstasy and the quiet somberness of a solo acoustic guitar or piano–and everything in between. The music takes the listener on a journey of emotional peaks and valleys. The instrumental interludes could have connected the “full” songs a bit better, but they do not seem terribly out of place. Overall, The Seeker is a beautiful and sincere effort in trying to find the answer that eludes us all.
Recommended If You Like: Margot and the Nuclear So & Sos, Okkervil River, Sufjan Stevens, Polyphonic Spree, Arcade Fire
Recommended Tracks: 2 (To The Great Unknown), 6 (No Hell), 7 (Everything You Thought You Had), 13 (Through the Ages)
Do Not Play: (Chromatica) (instrumental), 12 (Prelude to an End) (short and essentially instrumental)
Written by Josh Gaston on 02/27/16