Cloudkicker
Beacons

For those who might not know, the "Cloudkicker" project was conceived by a single mind named "Ben Sharp." Being a multi-instrumentalist, he has managed to create invaluable albums throughout his artistic career, self-producing his material, and offering it for free download, while staying outside of any record label. Today I am here to present to you one of his best works: "Beacons."

"Ben Sharp" has stated multiple times that music is his favorite hobby, not his job, and he enjoys this passion simply by writing and producing fantastic material. Speaking of this magnificent "Beacons," he has managed to progress from a melodic instrumental "Djent" clearly influenced by "Messhugghiana" ("The Discovery"), to something completely unique and evocative. So we are talking about an instrumental album, entirely composed and played by one person, which contains a unifying theme: a plane crashing and then colliding. From this premise, you can therefore get a clearer idea of the meaning behind the song titles.

The album opens with "We Are Going To Invert…", a "loop" repeated several times before heading towards the incendiary "Here, Wait A Minute, Damn it!", which is not yet a full song, but an excellent appetizer for what's to come. Here comes "We're goin' in, we're going down," a track with an excellent main riff, a mix of technique and melancholy that gives you goosebumps. Now it's time for "Oh God," a fascinating and dreamy track at the same time, that succeeds in striking the listener's heart and soul. "We Were All Scared": crepuscular and minimalist, leading subsequently to the two best songs of the album: "It's Bad, We're It, Man, We Are.." and "Amy, I Love You," the latter of which maintains a moderate "Post Rock" progression, only to detonate towards the end into guitar riffs that push human limits. Pure emotion, that's for sure.

Individually, all the tracks are wonderful, but when you listen to the entire "Platter," the magnificence of this work exponentially adds up.

In 2010, "Ben Sharp" managed to create a truly impressive auditory experience, showcasing what this musician is capable of even today.

Classic.