Rangleklods is an electronic music duo (Esben Nørskov Andersen & Pernille Smith-Sivertsen) from Denmark who spend a lot of time soaking in the Berlin music scene, but do most of their recording work in Copenhagen. Their strange sounding name (which doesn't translate to anything in English) hints at the nature of their music, which NMEfirst described as "something truly brilliant, hypnotic, warped and alien sounding all at once".
Rangleklods draws inspiration from an eclectic set of artists: "Burial's evocative industrial soundscapes, David Bowie's insistence to challenge and explore his own self, Brian Eno's production of Talking Head’s against David Byrne's ferocity, Dan Snaith of Caribou's ability to unite the electronic and the organic and even Alanis Morissette’s vulnerability and forgotten 90s harmonies" - which all coalesce into their emotionally evocative synthpop and ambient soundscapes.
"Clouds" is the first single from their debut album Beekeeper (2012), which is characterized by major electronic beats, subtle guitar melodies and charismatic vocals. As the allusive narrative that unfolds in the music video indicates, "Clouds" deals with the adolescent experience of being caught between childhood and adulthood:
'Combined the world was ours to takeWe appeared in different shapes on endOn our own we found the spot we fitOn our own we found the spot we fitShe spoke in terms beyond her ageAs we wandered aimlessly aboutTied to streets we'd known from birth and onTied to streets we'd known from birth and on'
Andersen's deep vocals make the song initially seem brooding and portentous, making his duet with Smith-Sivertsen during the chorus seem like a breezy gust of wind. I find the chorus uplifting and opaque in a brilliant manner, with Smith-Sivertsen responding with 'I told you I was nothing but a heartbeat' to Andersen's repeated accusations ('Your head's in the clouds'). It's beautiful, otherworldly and retains an air of mystery even after multiple listens.
