FROWNING CLOUDS - "GOSPEL SOUNDS & MORE FROM THE CHURCH OF SCIENTOLOGY" LP

LULUS:

From what I can gather this album is made mostly of cuts from a songwriter whose tunes were left on the cutting room floor for previous albums, but listening to Gospel Sounds... it's hard to imagine why because these numbers are stellar. I guess it's a matter of good things happening on God's time because these pretty daisies sitting all in a row have made for a delicious platter. From the outside it always seemed as though The Frowning Clouds were a cornerstone of the Geelong Garage Music Revival and it's not hard to see why. You hear their DNA in groups coming from that crowd, and much like you hear tales of groups from yesteryear who got their inspiration from seeing certain bands on certain stages, it's easy to imagine the same thing happened here. History repeats itself and it's appropriate in this instance; given their sound is about as dizzyingly accurate a 60's garage throwback as you'll find, right down to the broom-closet drum sound (the best bit!!!). For those of you who enjoy digging the crates, mags and online archives looking for that next dose of 60's sauce, you'll be forgiven for taking a week off and just enjoying the fruits of the Clouds because this is what you're looking for.

ANTI FADE:

It’s with great excitement and much nostalgia, that today we have the pleasure of announcing a full length record’s worth of (circa. 2012) material from the real unsung heroes of the Geelong music scene; The Frowning Clouds. 
The band who started it all for what we refer to as the thriving music scene that currently remains in Geelong. Anti Fade for one, would not exist without The Frowning Clouds; the biggest musical influence a pimply teen growing up in Geelong could ever ask for.
The band started out as pimply teens themselves in 2006, and by 2008, as 17 year old kids they were invited to play the iconic Golden Plains festival, and played shows around Melbourne and surrounds on a weekly basis for years onward. For a moment they seemed to like they were the next big thing, but for reasons beyond me, their 60’s garage inspired brand of music was largely under-appreciated and they never really got the respect or attention they deserved. A much more appreciated band these days than they ever were during their existence. You could say they were ten years ahead of their time, perhaps? 
To summarise the background of Gospel Sounds & More from the Church of Scientology; a large chunk of it could be looked at as the Clouds’ second album that never came out. After releasing their first record in 2010, they worked up a new set of songs, all much more original and “their own sound” compared to their first album, but by the time they got into the studio to record with Tim Dunn, they had over 20 tracks. So obviously a lot of them (predominantly the older tracks) didn’t make the sophomore classic, “Whereabouts” LP, and instead came out as a European tour cassette that quickly sold through it’s hundred copies and the songs sat idle on Bandcamp from then onwards.
We were able to compile a lot of stuff from the time, including the above tour tape, two tracks that never actually came out plus a handful of singles that weren’t included on the albums. Owen Penglis who recorded their All Night Long single in 2011 was even able to dig up his original tapes to remix the three tracks from this session.
It’s ten years or more since all of these songs were recorded, yet they still feel as fresh and relative as anything else that’s coming out today. The Frowning Clouds’ “Gospel Sounds & More from the Church of Scientology” LP is out August 5th, 2022.