Cloudland Canyon
Requiems Der Natur 2002-2004

Tee Pee Records 2006

By Colin Foord

One word: Glockenspiels. So Kraut-y, and Cloudland Canyon employ them masterfully to update the best freeform German acts of the ‘70s.

Two German-blooded musicians and Kip Uhlhorn, guitarist for NYC’s Panthers and former Red Scare frontman, have tapped into a limitless oasis of nature, synthesizing and interpreting it through mechanical, natural, and digital means. They have produced, through matriculate experimentation, a paradoxical, mind-melting psychedelic album.

Modern conveniences like laptops, portable MiniDisc recorders, and digital sound manipulation mix seamlessly with traditional musical elements and analog effects, to synthesize the organic in aural form. The kids will be name-dropping this band in the months to come – they are the seminal band’s band – but if you’re looking for psychonautical voyaging now, it’s hard to surpass.