Cloud Cult - Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus
ARTIST.....: Cloud Cult
TITLE......: Advice From The Happy Hippopotamus
LABEL......: Earthology Records / Baria
URL........: www.cloudcult.com
RIP DATE...: Mar-22-2005
STORE DATE.: Apr-12-2005
GENRE......: Avantgarde
QUALITY....: VBR / 44.1Hz / Joint-Stereo
SIZE.......: 83,10 MB
Track Listing:
01 - Intro 03:04
02 - Living On The Outside Of Your Skin 03:06
03 - Happy Hippo 02:40
04 - What Comes At The End 03:57
05 - You Got Your Bones To Make A Beat 03:02
06 - Interlude 00:26
07 - Washed Your Car 01:59
08 - Transistor Radio 04:09
09 - What It Feels Like To Be Alive 00:52
10 - Moving To Canada 03:06
11 - Start New 01:43
12 - Car Crash 02:55
13 - Light At The End Of The Tunnel 02:42
14 - Million Things 02:36
15 - Can't Stop The Journey Now 03:24
16 - Clip-Clop 02:31
17 - Training Wheels 04:05
18 - We Made Up Your Mind For You 02:24
19 - That Man Jumped Out The Window 03:46
20 - Lucky Today 02:09
21 - Rockwell 04:20
22 - Bobby's Spacesuit 03:03
─────
61:59 min
Release Notes:
Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus (2004-2005)
"I've worked harder on this album than any other piece of art I've
ever dedicated my mind to," said Minowa of Cloud Cult's new album.
"The under-riding theme of all of Cloud Cult's albums has been
focused on the struggle to understand mortality and our purpose
here. This album takes that analysis one step further. I can't say
I have the answer, other than that I don't know if we can really
know the answer until it's all over. And even then, there are no
guarantees." Without explanation, we are here and alive, at least
for the moment, so we should probably learn to appreciate it."
Although Minowa initially worked with a multitude of
instrumentalists and artists on Cloud Cult's newest CD, overall,
he says the project had an impact of more personal isolationism
than he had experienced in the past. "There were countless long 18
hour days, one after another, of where I was alone and completely
devoted to refining the message and music in this album, which
meant, as usual, there was no time for leisure or socializing. I'm
ecstatic with the final results, but my bones and skin are totally
burned out."
The album's release date was scheduled for April 12, 2005, backed
by a two month U.S. tour, but all of the performance dates have
been called off, as Minowa has been scheduled for an unexpected
surgery and hospitilization for a rare spinal nerve disorder.
"Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus" is an in depth look at the
fine line between life and death. Songs like "Light at the End of
the Tunnel" and "What It Feels Like to Be Alive" are focused on
the realization that mortality is an unavoidable truth, and that
there are no guarantees. Although that message, at face value,
seems dark, in actuality, the album translates that truth into a
calling to celebate life.
Cloud Cult has transformed devastation to success in less than two
years. What was once a one man unknown band is now a grassroots
industry of philosophy. With a full live band of Craig Minowa, Dan
Greenwood, Mara Stemm, Sarah Young, and Deborah Copperud, along
with live painters at shows (Connie Minowa, Scott West
(www.myritual.com) and Kjersten DeGaia (www.galleriadegaia.com)),
performance artists (Jill Hall and Ethan Schanback), radio promo
from AAM (www.aampromo.com) in New York (Beck, Sonic Youth, Modest
Mouse), Planetary Group (www.planetarygroup.com) in Boston
(Beastie Boys, David Bowie, Tom Waits), Canary Publicity
(www.canarypromo.com) (Philadelphia), and distribution from Baria
Records (www.bariarecords.com.au) and IDN (www.idndist.com), Cloud
Cult has become a grassroots economy of its own.
www.earthology.net