Have you spent much time thinking of the environmental impact of your listening habits?
Sure, the "environmentalist" attitude is growing more hip & maybe slowly mainstream.... with the likes of Radiohead & others becoming conscious of their Carbon footprint in touring. But what about the rest of the process in the industry?
Minnesotan group Cloud Cult have taken their action a step or giant leap further, looking more holistically at their entire process and how it impacts the environment.
Cloud Cult is the brainchild of Craig Minowa, an environmental science major who began the project as a solo endeavor in 1995. It has grown through the years with additional musicians & talents to the point that their live shows are now more of a multi-media ‘happening’ than a concert: with video, live painting and occasionally activists accompanying their music. Cloud Cult bleeds in and out of sounding like a mix of The Polyphonic Spree and Modest Mouse (& perhaps with a little stretch - the occasional dash of the Postal Service or Animal Collective).
Cloud Cult - though offered deals with major labels - has vowed to remain independent and be a product of Minowa's Earthology Records, a non-profit environmental record label that is based on a sustainable farm in Northern Minnesota. The studio is powered by wind & solar energy, while the space is heated/cooled by geothermal waste. For their products, they re-use old jewel cases & use non-toxic 100% recycled materials for the rest. If all of that weren't enough, they calculate the amount of Co2 that was emitted from production & transport and offset that by planting trees....
With all the focus on the environment & sustainability, you might suspect the topic would leak into their music; however, the albums remain quite personal with many songs hinting at the untimely death of Minowa's son in 2002.
If you are unfamiliar with Cloud Cult, their album The Meaning of 8 was included on several lists last year & they just released a new album Feel Good Ghosts (Tea-Partying Through Tornadoes) this past week.
