Freeclouds

A former member of Tulsa and a current guitarist with Lower Dens, Carter Tanton is developing into a versatile singer/songwriter as well. On his self-produced second solo release, he sends creative sparks off in several directions to deliver an accomplished and lushly recorded album. Starting with the dreamy country-rock of “Murderous Joy,” the album quickly switches gears with “Fake Pretend,” a textured, technicolor burst of ideas featuring vocals by Marissa Nadler. Detours into noisy power pop (“Horrorscope”) and synth-pop (“Land Lines”) are balanced by “In Knots” and his cover of Sparklehorse’s “Saturday,” two melancholy strummers well-suited to Tanton’s rich and expressive voice. The aptly titled “Gauze of a Song,” “Pasture Sound,” and the brilliant “Pitch Bent Flue” form their own subset of the album, built around acoustic guitar supported by textured beats and wavy layers of sound. Tightly arranged and enveloped in a warm atmospheric haze, *Freeclouds* shines from many different angles.

Having worked with Lower Dens, Marissa Nadler, and Tulsa, Carter Tanton offers a solo album that finds his production and arranging skills in fine form, while his songwriting is all over the map.

Carter Tanton has served in a number of bands, including the defunct Tulsa and the buzzing Lower Dens, but his second solo album, Freeclouds, is packed with so many ideas, it’s obvious he still has plenty of creative energy to burn. Veering from melancholic pop (“Murderous Joy”) to noisy basement jams (“Horrorscope”)…

Freeclouds shows Carter Tanton exploring his sound on his debut solo album, but the varied approaches don't stem from…