Holding Together: Bill Parry. November 2002.
Somewhat more aggressive than "Nightmares In The Sky" (recommended in HT #22), this album features fifteen originals, mostly by Steve Lines, and although some of the drifting psychedelia remains, elements of it veer towards buzzsaw punk and even T.Rexstacy. Fine vocals from Melanie Townsend, a plethora of guitar styles from Lines and Childe Roland - and an inlay that quotes both Arthur C Clarke and Marc Bolan. How cool is that?
Ptolemaic Terrascope: Nick Saloman. June 2001.
In which Mr Lines of Wiltshire transfers the vinyl to the silver disc and adds 4 tracks. I must admit I had one of my customary "falling outs" with Steve many years ago. I did write to apologise to him, as it was a pretty unjustified attack, but since then he’s remained incommunicado with yours truly. Quite rightly - I wouldn’t have talked to me again either. And in return I’ve never listened to any Stormclouds music. Until now, that is. And guess what? It’s pretty good. All the tracks on this record seem to have been inspired by horror novelists of the Hope Hodgson, Lovecraft school - so that’s got to be good. The Stormclouds are basically Steve Lines on most instruments and Melanie Townsend on vocals and guitar. The enigmatically monickered Childe Roland contributes stinging flurries of lead guitar here and there. The overall sound is kind of English folk/goth with a sort of dreamy minor key feel to it. Mark Angell adds a few gruff vocals and Ken Flynn crops up on guitars and bass. There’s even a cameo appearance by Reefus Moons, which also has to be a plus. I have to say I found some of the lyrics to be a bit sixth-form, but as I’m often told - who listens to lyrics anyway? Personally I spend hours tweaking my lyrics, trying to decide whether "and" sounds better than "but" or if "into" would be better than "onto", so I’m probably being hyper-critical. All in all a worthy piece of work. But I still won’t expect a call from Stevie Boy.
The Borderland - website. John M. Peters. January 2001:
This latest album by Stormclouds continues to draw on the rich imagery of fantasy, horror and science fiction writing and movies in a very listenable collection of psychedelia-tinged rock. The writers who have inspired this collection of songs include Brian Lumley, William Hope Hodgson, Anne Rice, H. P. Lovecraft, George Martin, Sheridan Le Fanu, Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, Clarke Ashton Smith, H. Rider Haggard and several others.
I'll admit right now that I have enjoyed everything that Stormclouds have produced and I'm not changing that opinion now. Sleep No More is a very easy on the ear collection of songs played by excellent musicians who support Melanie Townsend's dreamlike voice like a glove. The sound is jangly and melodic, richly textured and with some highly imaginative axe gymnastics. All the songs seem to capture the essence of the books and films they are based on, but as I haven't read or seen all of these I can't verify that.
Stormclouds consists of Steve Lines: writer/guitarist/other instruments, Melanie Townsend: writer/vocals, Childe Roland: writer/guitars, Ken Flynn: guitars/keyboards/b. vocals, Mark Angell: vocals, Reefus Moons: drums/guitars. Sleep No More contains fifteen tracks, a few more than the vinyl version - the extra tracks being remixes. I'm not going to pick favourite tracks, as usual the standard here is so good I don't think that I can! Just get yourself a copy of the limited edition CD and see what I mean.
Hawkfan Newsletter. Brian Tawn. December 2000: And on a nothing-like-Hawkwind-note, the wonderful Stormclouds have issued a new album called Sleep No More, which you can get from Steve Lines of Rainfall Records at 28 Churchill Close, Calne, Wilts. SN11 8EN. It is available on vinyl and on CD (with 3 bonus tracks) and is £10 (in the UK) payable to Rainfall Records. As I said, nothing like Hawkwind. Lyrics inspired by the likes of H. P. Lovecraft, William Hope Hodgson, Clark Ashton Smith, Brain Lumley and Arthur C. Clarke heard through the angelic voice of Melanie Townsend and supported by music which includes some of the finest guitar you will ever hear. Excellent!
Prism Volume 24, #6: Pam Creais. November/December 2000. UK: If albums are bought for the artwork alone then Sleep No More is worth buying. The cover art by Lorretta Mansell gives a strong nod towards the Pre-Raphelite master Dante Gabriel Rossetti and his 1863 work, Beata Beatrix, which is currently in the Tate Gallery in London. The lyric book is lavishly illustrated entirely (except for one other painting by Ms Mansell) by Stormclouds main writer/lyricist, Steve Lines. The lyrics create a mood of things gothic, dark and stygian, so the music itself comes as quite a contrast.
It is very light and airy, a sort of new age folk which seems at odds with the fractured, splintered lyrics, speaking of long dead vampires, weird mutations and strange loves. It has a soothing hypnotic quality: think Steeleye Span meet the Cocteau Twins and you're halfway there.
The best track is Sleepy Tree, which appears in two versions on the LP. It is an upbeat and foot-tapping track, the most representative of what else to expect on an album of inoffensive, if slightly pedestrian folk-pop. Melanie Townsend's vocals are sweet and clear, not unlike Maggie Reilley's on Mike Oldfield's Moonlight Shadow. Especially with respect to Nightwinds.
Stormclouds wear their influences pretty much on their sleeves. You can detect early Bowie in The Strange Inventor (vocals by Mark Angell). I'm not sure they wished to evoke memories of Nena's 99 Red Balloons with Sandman , though this is what it called to mind for me! The Midnight Sister gives a nod towards The Cult's Brother Wolf & Sister Moon, in thematic terms, if nothing else. Ken Flynn's Bolan-esque backing vocals on Shadowqueen make it a sparkier number than most. The lyrics suggest the same pretty, meaningless word-pictures of Marc's Ride A White Swan. Indeed you can almost picture his strange child-like handwriting crawling across your mind's eye!
Then there's the into to Sacrifice, all jangly guitars and mindful of Mott the Hoople and the harmonica in A Single Tear that recalls the plaintiff harmonies of Bob Dylan.
The album is dedicated to a wide selection of people, many of which will be familiar names to readers of Prism: Robert E. Howard, M. R. James, Mervyn Peake, Lord Dunsany, Ambrose Bierce and William Hope Hodgson to name but a few.
To lovers of a gentler more melodic brand of music I suggest they investigate Stormclouds soon.
