Mark & The Clouds – ‘You And Me In Space’/’Clouds’ (2021)
Operating out of London, England, Mark & The Clouds features lead singer and guitarist Marco Magnani, bassist and vocalist John O’Sullivan and drummer Shin Okajimi. Having made the grade with three phenomenal albums – ‘Blue Skies Opening’, ‘Cumulus’ and ‘Waves’ – the band has returned to the top of the deck with a fabulous new single.
Suitably titled, ‘You And Me In Space’ invites listeners to traverse through the solar system to a riot of psychedelic sounds and sensations. Kicking in as the missing link between ‘2000 Light Years From Home’ by the Rolling Stones and the Chocolate Watch Band’s ‘Expo 2000’, the trippy tune is so genuine that it could seriously masquerade as a nugget from the sixties. Hitting all the right notes at all the right moments, ‘You And Me In Space’ twirls around and around and up and down with trance-inducing vocals and melodically dynamic instrumentation. Catchy harmonies and a blast of backwards guitars also tie into the track.
Favoring a harder edge, but still saturated with surrealistic wonder, the flipside of the single – ‘Clocks’ – examines time and dimension. A powerful performance from beginning to end, the song is strengthened by a cool break and lots of witchy wah-wah guitar work.
While loads of bands are doing the psychedelic thing, it takes a special touch to really capture and communicate the true essence of the genre. Mark & The Clouds not only play the music with a natural instinct, but transcendent lyrics further add to the authenticity.
Beverly Paterson
Mark & The Clouds – ‘You And Me In Space’/’Clouds’ (Hypnotic Bridge Records 2021)
