If ever there’s an inspirational story for all aspiring bedroom musicians, it’s this. Bubbling under the surface for years, Ben Sharp, aka Cloudkicker from Columbus, Ohio, had been self-recording/producing instrumentals and releasing them for free to anyone who wanted them.
He didn’t have an agenda; he just enjoyed making music. But nothing stays a secret for long, and soon he caught the ears of LA-based post-metallers Intronaut.
Defying logistical ballaches, they partnered up for a month’s tour and the result was Live With Intronaut, a frenetic journey through technically inspired post-metal that heaves with depth. Take ‘live’ with a pinch of salt if you’re a stickler for authenticity; the tracks were recorded in a studio post-tour and mixed with crowd SFX lifted from one of their gigs.
Live… takes Cloudkicker’s polyrhythms and light-exploding atmosphere and lends it grit and aching melancholy. If this is the first real sign that post-metal and technical prog can exist as bedfellows, it’s a promising start./o:p
