Reading the accompanying notes that came with Obscured by Cloud’s album Psycheclectic, I was intrigued to see it described as "a great example of what free form, selfless, and independent music can be accomplished with a very modest budget". That turned out to be exactly the case as it hits all those targets with a certainty and confidence only found in people who believe in what they are doing and, more importantly, in what they are capable of doing. The clue, of course, is in the band's name. Yet, this is not an unashamed piece of Pink Floyd mimicry, this is an exploration into the finer art of their music whilst giving it an altogether independent and effective spin.
Obscured by Clouds is the brainchild of Oregon’s William Weikart who covers vocals and guitars. He is joined by a myriad of musicians who all, in their own part, splash in some excellent textures onto an album that drips colour, depth, and intrigue. The whole is linked together by the haunting reoccurring link that is “The Drip Feed” which re-emerges on the tail of the album to conclude a journey exploring all avenues of not only Pink Floyd, in their many guises, but also the Obscured by Clouds musicians themselves.
The production by Weikart and the exotically named Thee Slayer Hippy is first class. There is so much going on within this album that it takes many plays to fully explore the multi layers and sometimes disguised dimensions it contains. Yes, in one of those dimensions, it is a shameless homage and even opens with a Dark Side of the Moon moment on “Soft Cheeked & Worried”, before moving through a Syd Barrett style “Zoe Zolofft”. On the other hand, Obscured by Clouds hold true to the title of the album and are not afraid to let the music develop into a dimension of its own. It is, therefore, both psychedelic and eclectic drawing from not only Floyd influences but releasing those energies and letting them go on their own journey, the result of which is not only rewarding but is also fascinating and compelling. It is a brave move and I feel sure that even the musicians involved were probably surprised at just how far they could take the original idea whilst being bold enough to let it grow.
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