Nathan Oliver – Cloud Animals Review and Interview
Cloud Animals Cover
I participate in discussions at Arstechnica, which fields discussions about many technical things as well as legal issues surrounding music. Over-and-over again, I hear folks there spout about how there is little to no creativity on the radio these days and that’s the reason why they pirate music: it’s not worth paying for. Meanwhile, I nod to the radio part of it. Quite frankly, radio stinks. Even the musicians I like on the oldies stations get the same playlist overplayed and make me sick of the classic iconic oldies. But, those folks haven’t listened to the likes of Nathan Oliver! Nathan Oliver is a fun band full of youthful vigour with a mad dash of artistic talent. This group is the meat and taters of Inditernative fans.
Windows media player identifies the mp3s as alternative. Although it’s an alternative to the radio, it simply lacks that hard edge that I associate with the genre. I find myself associating the music closer with a sort of nouveau folk rock. There’s plenty of natural instrumental penetration in the music, with layers of electric added, and other instrumentation which garnishes the edges. However, there is some wandering about the genres on Cloud Animals, their latest album. “Alone in a Fog,” for instance, I would certainly classify as alternative.
Unlike a lot of the albums I’ve covered thus far, the lyrics are easily understood. Nathan is a good singer in tone as well as in enunciation. It’s a nice break from the ‘we don’t really care, so long as it sounds good’ crowd. However, after thrusting my talons into the melange of words I still found myself perplexed for the purpose of the lyrics. Questioning the man himself, Nathan said that the lyrics are like that of an impressionist painter. I would have suggested it’s closer to that of abstract. Certainly, the title of the album would lead one to suspect as much. That is to say, seeing things in the clouds, animals for instance, is an abstraction rather than an impression. However, I don’t, for the most part, get that out of the music itself. In general, the music is fairly simple and straightforward. However, that’s where my tastes generally lie, so don’t misunderstand that comment as dismissive of the quality of the work. A friend from work, however, was far less generous than I, saying rather that Nathan’s voice lacked quality saying that it lacked that ‘special quality’ which marks those who are successful. In the music industry, one needs something special, which lacks on the album. While Nathan Oliver may never reach iconic glory, I would argue that it’s still worth listening to.
Nathan Oliver is an interesting band that’s definitely stage worthy and well worth $10-20 on the ticket. In general, his site lists ticket prices ranging from $5-8. In my opinion, if the venue itself is decent, a value ticket without question.
As an album, it isn’t boring at any point. It doesn’t repeat itself. If you buy the CD, you might find it pleasant to play when friends are over for a night of poker, a barbecue, or even an easy going social gathering. It may be purchased for $10+ shipping from Nathan Oliver’s site. The very helpful website comes with lyrics, contact information, tour information, amongst other things.
Below, some samples of the album, Cloud Animals:
Under Lock and Key
A Dark History
Cloud Animals
The album may be purchased for $10+ shipping at Pox World Empire.
Kindly, an interview was granted to awmusic.ca by Nathan White, leader of the band.
Nathan White Live
First off, I’d like to know a little about what got you started in music.
I started writing music because I grew up obsessed with groups like Nirvana. It was the most natural creative outlet for me. I picked up my dad’s old guitar and taught myself. I had a background in music—piano, clarinet–but I never really stuck with these because I wasn’t passionate about whatever type of music they were teaching me in Catholic school.
Who are the key artists that influence your work?
I don’t think we necessarily sound like all of the following bands, but they have had a huge impact on the way I write music: Pixies, Elliott Smith, and Unwound.
I noticed on your bio page that you said that all of the songs on Cloud Animals had various artists chosen to do specific things on the album. If this is true, then how true to the CD can you be when you perform live?
Well, to some extent our live shows are different than our records. We tend to be more noisy, energetic, and abrasive live–but the core of each song is there. The song structures and main instrument parts are all there, regardless of who wrote them. We translate glock parts or string parts to the trumpet, and we add more textured guitar noises. That’s due to the current makeup of our live band, I want everyone to have fun and feel comfortable that they can bring a unique perspective to the songs, even if it deviates from the record. I’m not a tyrant.
Do you think life is getting easier for the artist – now recording and distribution can be had so much less expensively than in the past, or do you think the proliferation of copyright abuse is harming the artist?
I think life is easier for small independent artists like ourselves. People seem more willing to look into independent artists because of easier access online. The information is out there, the CD is available through the band’s website, or iTunes or whatever. It’s also easier for artists to target fans. I’m for that aspect. Copyright infringement really has no effect on us. If people want our music, I’d probably just send it to them, especially if they come to one of our shows.
You started off indie in 2006, but you’re now a part of Pox World Empire. What does this change for you as a group? Is everything now easier or are there compromises that need to be made for you as artists?
The biggest change was having access to Pox Studios. That’s where we recorded our two albums. We also met a great group of local musicians, many of which have recorded there, and even contributed to our albums (like Schooner, North Elementary, and Midtown Dickens). In terms of sacrifice, we had none to be honest. We’re just happy to be associated with a credible, artistically inclined label like Pox World Empire. We have complete artistic control over our music, schedules, etc. I’ve been fairly
involved with Pox recently, recording other artists like Organos and Anna Bullard. It’s a collective of friends that appreciate good music.
Looking forward, where do you see ‘Nathan Oliver’ next year and five years from now?
A year from now I’d like to be recording a new batch of songs. I see our band exploring a lot of musical territory. If you haven’t heard our records, they are pretty diverse within the realm of alternative, pop, rock, folk music. The idea for now is to make some experimental songs and see what happens with them. I’m predicting more noise and ambiance.
Five years from now, I’d hope that we have some significant touring behind our belts. I’m always going to be writing and recording new songs.
Your lyrics are a little off the wall. Where do they come from and what do they mean?
I am actually very particular about the lyrical content of my songs. They hold a lot of weight. This would be easier to answer if it was about a specific song or two, but most of the time I try to write lyrics the way an impressionist painter would create art. Up close under scrutiny it may not make perfect sense or paint a clear picture, but if you step back and evaluate the lyrics they should paint a certain mood and situation. I aim to have the listener create their own reality with the words. Also, some of my lyrics clash with the mood of the melody, so they come off as sarcastic. But I like that lack of predictability.
