Future Clouds And Radar is Robert Harrisons band, he of the legendary Cotton Mather. Their 2 CD, self-titled album from 2007 was in tons of Top of the year lists. As one scribe wrote. FCAR are like `a new interpretation on your old-school record collection. Your vinyl is chopped up, thrown in a blender and poured into a hefty pint glass for your consumption.. That is accurate here on their second album and fans of Cotton Mather probably should be careful jumping in excepting a Beatle-y update. It is not really here - and that is perfectly A-OK but this one is not for the pop fan wanting the true `n tried. Harrison is restless with formula and playing by the rules is not in h is nature. He is an explorer and provocateur pushing his audience, hurredly, to come along side him as he forges forward into territories not yet discovered. His genre-hopping eclecticism is on display once again - and on "Peoria" not all of it works - but when it does, what vistas! "7 out of 10. Last year`s debut was one of the best albums of 2007. This year`s "Peoria" opens with the expansive arrangements of electric guitar and strings in "The Epcot View" would fit nicely on the last album. Harrison then channels Neil Young on "Old Edmund Ruff" before picking up the pace with "Feet On Grass," a psyche-organ romp worthy of Mike Pinder. Both frustrating and mesmerizing is the wonderful opening to "Mummified" that plays like an Supertramp epic that devolves into The Beatles "Revolution #9" it is one of the best tracks here. The use of fuzz box guitar and ghostly vocals give the entire album the feel of kaleidoscopic smoke.The later tracks sound good but seem to be unfocused ("Eighteen Months") or trying for a more epic psyche-orchestral mood than anything else ("The Mortal" and "Mortal 926"). Missing a very strong power pop tune may turn off some Cotton Mather fans, but if you`re willing to explore Harrison`s acid trip you will be not be disappointed." - PowerPopAHolic. "Though musically reminiscent of that debut album - that Beatles influence has not faded, and some of the songs are still saturated with a whole wonderful mess of guitars, horns, keyboards, beats, creeks, cracks, sci-fi noises, and claps - Peoria is more refined, direct, and accessible. It even contains identifiable themes that connect the songs. Though the songs still contain a lot of instrumentation, there is more breathing room this time around. Even better, the genre-hopping is more successful and less forced and self-indulgent than on the band is sprawling debut. Although Peoria wears its musical influences proudly, it is still an exciting and musically textured album that shows Future Clouds and Radar effectively applying a more sophisticated instrumental and lyrical focus."-BlogCritics.org.
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