Black Cloud is the debut full-length album from Portland's Tango Alpha Tango.  It was recorded entirely at Supernatural Sound Studios in Oregon City, OR, incidentally where brothers Nathan and Aaron Trueb grew up, along with Nathan's wife, Mirabai.  So, you could say they are definitely a family band who went back home to record.  The comfort shines through- possibly due to the process in which they recorded: songs were tracked live, all together in the same room, without click-tracks or cues, just the way they like to play.  Most of the songs they got basic tracks to on the first few takes, but that wouldn't surprise anybody who's seen them live.  The band has honed in their chops from years of playing shows- more than most bands in town could boast, and it shows in their effortless grooves, memorable melodies, and the constant battle of good and evil in their sound and lyrics.  This record is conceptual and should be listened to straight through to catch all of the thoughtfully woven themes and transitions, not to say that each song isn't great on it's own.  But it's a rare record that mixes great songs with a plausible concept that keeps the listener on a trip with the band from song to song, never losing the thread of blues, folk, and pop sensibilities along the way.  They also achieve something that's been lost with the death of analog and the birth of the digital, they were able to make a record with the raw edge of a live performance and mix it with a polished, finished product.  These days are the days of, "well why wouldn't we use technology to make even MORE perfect?" when, in reality, perfect isn't always perfect, so for Tango Alpha Tango, it took going back to simpler times and possibly more complicated methods to achieve their goal: to make a great record that no one else is making, or could make for that matter.

Kill & Haight

Tango Alpha Tango