I'll concede that this review is a bit late in coming (the better part of two months behind release, in fact), but there were outside factors which kept me from getting to Marvelous Clouds right away. I was shocked when I heard that Aaron Freeman was quitting Ween and – whether it was done expressly to ensure that the singer would be able to remain sober or not – I felt personally injured at the loss of one of my favorite bands of all time, and just couldn't bring myself to listen to a solo record right away. I needed some time and distance from the event in order to approach Marvelous Clouds with a clear head and even temper, and this is just how long that took to achieve.
Here we are now though, and Marvelous Clouds is out – so what is this record about? The former, primary voice of Ween is clearly aiming for a clean break from the past in every way with this record (released on a new label with no mention of Ween or Gene anywhere on this release), and that ambition alone begs discussion but, in listening, so does the new sound of a refreshed soul which comes across on this new album.
The first, most plainly noticeable thing about Marvelous Clouds is just how even and consistent the tone of it is as a single experience. There are exactly no hard left turns or distractions of vision as there have always been on Ween records; Marvelous Clouds is possessed of a very single-minded drive. Freeman's easy-to-like and always wonderfully melodic voice eases listeners into “As I Love My Own,” and that smooth-as-silk introduction proves to be the guiding principle here.
In such an introduction though, listeners will also be offered a revelation into the truth and nature of Aaron Freeman's contributions to Ween; as it turns out, everything about Ween was far less ironically driven than fans realized. In Ween's case, because there were always elements of punk, funk, folk and pretty much every other form of pop under the sun in the band's arsenal, it was simple to assume that the lighter fare (like “Zoloft” from Quebec, for example) was meant to be a gag – but that lighter air is the rule here, and thus states that the sound was not just meant for relief when it would appear on Ween records, it was done on out of creative desire. That soft, contemporary dynamic dynamic dominates songs like “Jean,” “The Beautiful Strangers,” “One By One” and “The Lovers,” and each stays its course with meticulously clean guitar performances, perfectly level melodies and soulful vocal exhortations. That the songs were only written by Freeman in part (Marvelous Clouds is being marketed as a tribute to the work of author/singer/songwriter Rod McKuen, but some of this music was arranged and composed by Freeman) is irrelevant; Freeman pours himself into these songs as if they were his own, and gently presents them with love and care. Such a change in form from Ween's governing dynamics is breathtaking; in listening, Ween fans will be forced to wonder if they might have been mistaken in what they assumed to be true about the band for all those years they excited awaited new albums from that band. That food for thought is very engaging as listeners find themselves enjoying this album more and more because of the sheer beauty of it – not the chance that it is some new form of satire. That chance and the music which promotes it on Marvelous Clouds is very illuminating.
Artist:
www.aaronfreeman.net/
www.facebook.com/theaaronfreeman www.twitter.com/theaaronfreeman
Further Viewing:
Short Pitchfork interview with Aaron Freeman. – [Video]
Album:
Marvelous Clouds is out now. Buy it here on Amazon .
