Cloud Sculptors is the debut album of the experimental Oslo-based rock quintet Full Earth, released on March 15th via Stickman Records. The excellent Echodelick Records is also involved in the release, and I believe they have some vinyl copies still available. Cloud Sculptors’ fuzzed-out riffs, sonic experimentalism, and noise-rock tendencies are not to be missed.
Full Earth has a deep connection to and love for minimalist music, especially Terry Riley’s organ works. They also draw influences from stoner rock like Sleep, High on Fire, and Elder and the electronic avant-garde. The resulting music on Cloud Sculptors is a wild instrumental ride.
Cloud Sculptors consists of six thoroughly composed and extensively produced tracks. Four songs are long-form, instrumental, fuzz-heavy, and sludgy compositions stretching toward the twenty-minute mark. “Echo Tear” and “Weltgeist” are shorter organ-driven pieces inspired by James Ferraro, Onehotrix Point Nevers, and Györgi Ligeti. The album is 84 minutes long, and Full Earth’s inspirations and references coalesce vibrantly and progressively.
The album starts with “Full Earth pt. 1: Emanation,” a massive, sprawling, and epic instrumental jam that’s the longest on the album at over twenty-one minutes long. Full Earth leaves no stone unturned in this progressive rock and psychedelic head-banger. “Cloud Sculptors” clocks in at over twenty minutes, another heady and heavy instrumental psych journey.
“Weltgeist” is an organ-driven piece that shows the band’s minimalist influences. The change of pace from the first two rocking tracks is notable, as this song is much gentler and journeys into the depths of space. It’s followed by the eighteen-minute-plus “The Collective Unconcious,” another track that leans heavily on the organ but is a full-band affair.
“Echo Tears” is perhaps the trippiest song on the record, replete with looping synthesizer patterns that create a kaleidoscope of sounds. The album ends with “Full Earth pt. II: Disintegration,” which feels very similar to “Echo Tears” in the avant-garde electronic soundscapes.
The only difference is that “Disintegration” stretches past thirteen minutes, sounding similar to Floydian electronic experimentation along with Terry Riley’s minimalist genius. The softer side of the track eventually explodes into full-bore stoner rock. Mixed with electronic sounds, it’s a progressive rock symphony with a grand vision.
Cloud Sculptors is quite the accomplishment for a debut record. Oslo-based Full Earth has created something extraordinary here, and I hope we keep hearing about this band for years to come. Elder, Kanaan, and Apex Ten fans should love these instrumental jams. Enjoy!
Check out Cloud Sculptors by Full Earth on Bandcamp here.
You can support Full Earth by finding them on Bandcamp or social media (Facebook, Instagram).
You can support Stickman Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Facebook).
Support Echodelick Records by finding them on Bandcamp, their official website, or social media (Instagram).
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