No Clouds Allowed

“No Clouds Allowed” Carnival Youth
Latvian indie rock band. Synthesizes a variety of musical styles — from melodic pop-rock to experimental compositions that meld folk-rock with intricate rhythms. This provides a really wide range of options: from the catchy synth-infused opener, “Never Have Enough,” to the growling guitars of “Something.” Definitely worth your time to check this out.
— Francis

Recommended: 1, 6, 2, 5, 9. No FCCs.

1. (5:04) Never Have Enough – Bouncy, melodic pop. Strummed guitars. Piano. Really catchy synth-infused pop-rock. ****
2. (4:11) Octopus – Powerful, up-tempo track. Intricate rhythm patterns. Rapid bass line. Fuzzy synths and guitars. Builds throughout. ***
3. (3:43) Moonboy – Off-kilter, clashing, discordant — with sprinkled synths and piano counterpoint.
4. (3:18) Tree by Tree – Starts as a lilting melody. Then, tom-toms are added and the song builds toward big, edgy crescendos with clashing cymbals.
5. (4:05) Brown Eyes and All the Rest – Jangle rock over a skipping, scuffling rhythm. Fuzz-driven choruses. ***
6. (4:00) Traffic Lights — Catchy melody. Almost folky in verses. Good shifts in dynamics. Layers of instrumentation added. Builds to guitar distortion and feedback like from the 1960s and 1970s. Insistent beat and bass line. ***
7. (2:34) Words Like Birds – Fast strumming electric guitars set to a driving beat. Tense. Fuzzy guitars and an electric piano.
8. (3:51) Seasons – A bit lighter at the start, but almost has a mellow, prog-rock feeling at times. Builds to a big rock ending.
9. (3:21) See the World – Jangly pop-rock reminiscent of Young the Giant. Harmonized vocals over ringing guitar and synth swirls. Bold synths and guitars intermixed in the long trail-out. ***
10. (3:22) Sometimes – Builds into a real rocker, with growling, angular guitars and thought-provoking lyrics.
11. (2:51) Akmentini – Pleasant and jangly. Glockenspiel. Lyrics in Latvian. (I’m trusting that there are no FCCs.)