Tara Jane O'Neil // The Cool Cloud of Okayness LP [BLACK/COLOR]

This is a record released by American veteran singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Tara Jane O'Neil in April 2024 from Chicago's indie label Orindal Records.

Contains 9 psychedelic and minimalist indie rock to indie folk songs. Lyrics insert and DL code included.

Below is a commentary by the label.

"Transformation occurs at the hinge between before and after.

Houses burn down and are rebuilt, people become spirits, and the known world falls apart and becomes one again. Tara Jane O'Neill's new album, The Cool Cloud of Okayness, was written in the seven years of upheaval and change since her self-titled album. It was recorded by TJO in his home studio in Upper Ojai, California, built on the ashes of his home destroyed in the Thomas Fire.

Many of the nine songs on The Cool Cloud of Okayness were developed during wildfires and rebuilding, between shutdowns and reopenings. TJO and her partner (dancer, choreographer, frequent collaborator) Jamie James Kidd and their dog sheltered from the storm in the high desert of Southern California and the deep suburbs of Louisville, Kentucky. In these lands, he discovered improvised bass guitar figures on Kid's dances, transformed them into songs during pandemic isolation, and drummer/percussionist Sheridan Riley (of Arvaiz), multi-instrumentalists. He brought it to the ensemble of mentalist Walt McClements and guitarist Meg Duffy (a member of Hand Habits). They build, gleefully destroy, and rebuild again. There is joy in this ensemble's shared queer identity. This album also challenges easy genres and definitions. This record is a sculpture, a portrait of a time gone by and a loved one. It's both spiritual and psychedelic. TJO's skillful production and unwavering bass support the centerpiece, while her bewitching guitar and singing voice convey the message.

Cool clouds sometimes sing like a promise, sometimes like a mantra. We are bright as fire. Joy is also a means of fighting. " In a sustained rhythm, every repetition feels like a challenge. How many revolutions around the sun? What changes each time? How much loss can a person accept? Grief... It's an endless feedback loop. But if you listen closely, you can almost hear the sound of a small sapling pushing through the mud. It carries a torch, and it's bright."

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Includes DL code. Available on 12" cloud 140gram vinyl (edition of 250) or 12" black 140gram vinyl (edition of 250). 

tracklist:

1. Cool Cloud of Okayness
2. Seeing Glass
3. Two Stones
4. We Bright
5. A Dash
6. Glass Island 05:41
7. Curling 05:32
8. Fresh End
9. Kaichan Kitchen

Orindal Records:

"Transformation is what happens in the hinge between before and after.

A house burns down and is rebuilt again, persons become spirit, known worlds break apart and fall together again. Tara Jane O'Neil's new album, The Cool Cloud of Okayness, was written amidst the skirmishes and shuffle of the seven years since her self -titled album (although there has been a fascinating array of collaborations, tributes, rarities, and experiments released in the interim). Recorded by TJO at her home studio in Upper Ojai, California, a studio built on the ashes of the home lost to the Thomas Fire.

Many of The Cool Cloud of Okayness's nine tracks were developed in the time between the wildfire and the rebuilding, between lockdown and reopening. TJO, her partner (dancer, choreographer and frequent collaborator) Jmy James Kidd and their dog sheltered from the storms in the high desert of Southern California and the deep suburbs of Louisville, KY. In these locales were discovered the improvised bass guitar figures to Kidd's dance which transformed into songs during pandemic isolation, then brought to the ensemble of drummer/percussionist Sheridan Riley (of Alvvays) , multi-instrumentalist Walt McClements, and on a couple, guitarist Meg Duffy (of Hand Habits). They build and gleefully destroy and rebuild again. There is joy in the ensemble's shared queer identity- an identity that refuses to be agreed upon. This record too challenges any easy genre or definition. This record is sculpture and portrait of times and loved ones gone past. It is spiritual and it is psychedelic. TJO's deft production and rock-solid bass playing hold the center, and her spectral guitar and singing voice carry the message.

The Cool Cloud of Okayness sings sometimes like a promise, sometimes like a mantra. It says “We are bright, like the fire. Joy too can be a way of fighting.” In the rhythms, every repetition feels like a persistent challenge. How many times around the sun? What changes every time? How much loss can someone take? Grief becomes a feedback loop that drones on and on, yet if we listen closely one can almost hear the sprouting up, little seedlings pushing through the mud. The Cool Cloud of Okayness is both a celebration and a requiem, it transforms grief, it carries a torch, and the torch is bright."

Artist: Tara Jane O'Neil

Label: Orindal Records

CAT No.: ORDER 75