the a.r.w. recommends: Cloud Cult
In 1995, an experimental indie rock group was formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota by the name of Cloud Cult. The band (consisting of a cellist, violinist, bassist, drummer and two visual artists who create paintings at live shows) was recruited by singer/songwriter Craig Minowa. Two years after the band formed, Minowa founded Earthology Records, a non-profit label that uses recycled materials for its albums, donates profits to charity and whose buildings are powered by geothermal
energy and constructed with recycled materials. Minowa also runs an organic farm and Cloud Cult tours on a biodiesel van. In addition to the environmentally friendly reputation, Minowa is known for his emotion-packed lyrics. In 2002, he composed over a hundred songs to deal with the loss of his infant son. Minowa elaborated on the origin of the band’s name in a 2007 interview:
It’s a sect of ancient North American indigenous prophecies that have been eerily accurate so far. There’s an incredibly interesting analysis in the prophecies of the balance between technology and nature. In a nutshell, the prophecies indicate that human kind will go through a massive transition due to inability to control some of the unexpected aspects of technology. Those that survive will be those that know how to live off the land. I used it as a project name when I wrote the album “Who Killed Puck?” We weren’t a live band back then, it was just a studio project. Butas new albums came together and the project turned into live performance I decided to stick with it.
The band has been compared to Arcade Fire and Postal Service (though I would venture to add !!! Chk Chk Chk in that mix), but they have an edge that is all their own. “The Meaning of 8″ and “Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes)” are two of their most recent albums, both of which are available online at their website. I’ve been listening to “The Meaning of 8″ nonstop for days now, indulging in a variety of strange noises and lyrics. The first few tracks on this album are inescapable, and it only gets better from there.

the beginning of Vietnam, in which participants were hesitant, to the eventual protests that overwhelmed the country, including over 500,000 incidents of desertion in the U.S. military (between 1966 and 1971). Eventually, the GI anti-war movement made the fight in Vietnam virtually impossible, which, in turn, led President Nixon to the concept of “Vietnamization” — the ground fighting was left to the South Vietnamese troops, limiting US involvement. 

last years of the Romanian Communist regime. It begins quietly, as we are introduced to the girls who are preparing for an abortion, which was illegal during the 


He traveled to New Orleans this past August in order to produce a series to commemorate the third anniversary of the hurricane. The art is most noticeable on buildings that have remained derelict. 


to say the words, to exchange vows and rings. I had to step back and ask myself, where is this coming from? I have always been convinced that marriage is not for me. I have seen too much divorce, too much pain. I have always doubted the notion that any couple can last. People change. People grow. What if two people change and grow in opposite directions? Why should there be restrictions placed on this growth? On the change, or on the directions? We should feel free to be who we are, despite who we are with.


















