With their "Youthern" single still fresh in our minds and recent tape mixes, London's Cloud Boat debut their second Enfield, Trinity Church session (the first was for "Dréan") with their acoustic-chorale arrangement of "Kowloon Bridge". Unplugged, Sam Ricketts and Tom Clarke exchange the electronic units for acoustic strings and brass to give their ballad of seafaring sustainability an intimate edge of sovereign-solemnity.
Letting the Enfield chapel's acoustics relay the tale of maternal nurturing, Cloud Boat sets out from the nest of earth on their sea legs. "Dry land is where mother sits, watching you sail out, brave boy on the ocean", utilizing maritime metaphors of searching for new worlds delivered like family photo album feelings as the iron ore and oil tanker sets off as, "the man in search of land".
From the pulpit stage, the duo and instrumental company convey coming of age allegories in care of thoughts that pit the feelings of leaving home to the apprehensions and pratfalls of setting out into the world's vast oceans. Like the song's namesake of the infamous MV Kowloon Bridge carrier wreck, the journey of the life aquatic does not always float with ease. Like an emergency naval response maneuver, the maternal arms cradle the fledgling ship like a familial patron saint caring for her own that ran aground. "She'll still be there when the tide washes you ashore".
And unlike the sunk fate of the aforementioned ship off West Cork, Ireland's Kedges Reef, Sam and Tom strum an unbreakable spirit for all sunken hearted vessels. Their passion reaches deep down past Atlantis, in order to resurrect all fallen boat titans so they may again ride the ocean's surface. The cellos, guitars and trombones lift encouraged spirits up to Trinity's spires as we return again to the harbor where the hope of second chances send well wishes of safe voyage. "She'll see you sail once more", repaired and ready to ride from sea to the sky.
Cloud Boat's album debut Book of Hours comes out May 28 from Apollo / R&S Records.
