Former Cotton Mather frontman Robert Harrison is back in the game after a rather prolonged absence (due in part to some medical issues) and his new project, dubbed Future Clouds and Radar, makes their debut with a sprawling, self-titled two-disc effort. There's still plenty of the psychedelia-flecked, Beatle-damaged melodic magic that Harrison showcased on such classic Cotton Mather efforts as 1997's Kontiki, but FCAR tosses some fresh elements into the mix, including horns, some bizarre spoken word interludes (Captain Beefheart ain't got nothin' on "Letters to Junius") and even some subtly placed beats. It's nearly impossible to properly digest all 27 tunes in one sitting, but then again, most of 'em don't really make complete sense when taken out of context. About half of them are quite wonderful, though this is another one of those double albums that would have been completely killer with a bit of pruning. Disc two is the more satisfying of the two, with the mysterious, affecting "Armitage Shanks" and the gorgeously cinematic "Christmas Day 1923" shining brightly, along with the perfectly poppy and damned-near-funky "Build Havana," the slightly rambunctious "Dr. No" and the blissfully summery "Back Seat Silver Jet Sighter." Even FCAR's less-than-successful tracks come off like noble-sounding failed experimentation rather than outright dreck, making this one of the year's most impressive debuts.
--John M. Borack
