Its been a great journey so far & their live performances continue to be at the core. “I think what sets us apart” says Sam, “is that we can do it completely live, not just rearranging songs but building them from the bottom up.” It's this which has led to the staggering confidence of 'Book of Hours'. Soft-edged but monumentally huge bass tones in 'Youthern' support Sam's Ennio Morricone-esque guitars & Tom's velvety folk lament. 'Dréan' is even more bare, a fingerpicked acoustic ballad with insidious waves of background guitar that well up, sounding both ancient & sci-fi despite having none of the obvious signifiers of “futuristic” electronica. On 'Wanderlust' Tom hits a liturgical tone, a hymnal yearning filling the song as a cloud of Burial-like crackles rise up around it creating pressure despite their delicacy & showing how it's possible for Cloud Boat to maintain intensity with the most unlikely source materials. It's easy to see how Cloud Boat's sound could work for demanding & hedonistic techno crowds yet this is also an album for headphone reveries.[info from al]