Cloud Dweller – Winter
5.1.18 by Ryan Masteller

You really wanna rankle me? Here’s how: specialize in crafting mood pieces in relation to events surrounding the locale of Allentown, Pennsylvania, a place where I have spent entirely too much g**-dam*ed time in my life. That’s me eyeballing you, Glenn Nelson, aka Cloud Dweller. Better yet, you could house your tape label’s headquarters there, probably in some hovel at the a$$ end of Linden Street or something. I am glaring straight in your m-effing direction, Endangered Species Tapes. Am I close? Thinking about Allentown from the safe distance of like 800 miles away is still like trying to scratch off every square inch of my skin because it’s itchy.

…

OK, sorry for being so negative. I mean, I’m OG, born in Allentown Hospital and everything, so it stands to reason that getting out of there was the best thing I ever did. Maybe I shouldn’t hold it against everybody that still calls the place home. And to be fair, there are times it can even be beautiful – heck, you can be from anywhere, or currently inhabiting anywhere, and the prospect of encroaching winter whiteout conditions is both exhilarating and awe-inspiring. That’s what Cloud Dweller captures here with “Winter,” based on his seasonal experience in Allentown … well, on side B, anyway. Side A was recorded in like Vermont or something, but we all know winter is winter and a snowstorm is a snowstorm, so quit trampling my narrative!

…

There I go again. Sorry, sorry! I don’t want to lose the thread that Cloud Dweller has a frigid grip on his synthesizer rig, icy tones penetrating the short days and long nights. Seriously, you can curl up under a warm blanket by a crackling fireplace while the wind howls outside and this “Winter” tape will still chill your bones. But that’s one of the best parts about winter, one of the ones I actually miss now that I’m the heck out of there: the cold makes the getting warmer all the sweeter. So turn off the lights, light some candles, and get under the covers while Cloud Dweller drones his “Winter” all around like snowflakes swirling in a gale. It makes thinking about Allentown actually … pleasant?

Random PS: How’s Double Decker’s tape game these days?

Winter’s in a teeny-tiny edition of 25 from Endangered Species, so hurry it up!