Q+A with Amber Ramsay of Cloud Tangle
Cloud Tangle is the project of Amber Ramsay, a Brisbane-based writer, multi-instrumentalist and producer. “Godlike Masquerade”, the first single from Cloud Tangle’s forthcoming album Dreaming Again, was featured in episode 20 of blank mood. “Godlike Masquerade” has a ghostly air to it, twirling with foreboding and providence.
Ahead of the full album release in October, Amber answered a few questions about the single, the album and her creative process.
”Godlike Masquerade” is the first single from your forthcoming album Dreaming Again - what's the story behind the song?
I wrote this song many years ago when I was living alone and playing guitar a lot. I used to loop little guitar ideas while I was writing and ended up with the main aspects of the song, which I added drums and synth to over the years. The meaning has developed towards a pretty abstract concept of imagination and things beyond what we can see. I like leaving my lyrics open ended for people to make their own interpretations. This song was the most dense of all the tracks on the album and the production was pretty challenging and rewarding.
How would you like your listeners to feel when hearing the new album?
I would hope they are open minded to any feelings. Ideally a sense of presence, connection or inquiry. The music is somewhat ‘impressionistic’ and will ideally change or impact the listeners state of being, or take them on a journey.
Your vocals on “Godlike Masquerade” remind me of those from deary, a band from London on the Sonic Cathedral label - who are your musical vocal influences?
Cool :) Thom Yorke; at the time of writing “Godlike Masquerade” and other earlier songs on the album, I was singing a lot of late Radiohead and songs from his soundtrack for Suspiria . Lana del Rey is a big one, Angel Olsen, Beach House, Marlon Williams, Sharon Van Etten, Weyes Blood and Hope Sandoval.
Your music has a cinematic quality - how do visual media inform your songwriting process?
Thank you, visual media plays a vital role in the songwriting and overall aesthetic of the project. I’ve always loved movies, at a young age I found a lot of my musical inspiration from them. Live shows with projected visuals or captivating lights also played a part. Music coveys something visual media cannot, but I think the two elevate each other and I try and maintain that relationship within my work. Ideally I would write all of my music for film. Ironically, I have aphantasia and I often wonder what role that plays in my love of music and visual media.
Can you tell us about the album's cover art?
I found it difficult to imagine anything of photographic medium to encapsulate the dreamy quality of the album and decided to stray from my usual visual style. I approached one of my favourite artists to create something for the cover in the form of a painting; a beautiful scene of surrealism and detail. I really love it. The green that dominates brings the feeling of nature and mystique, and the yellows and gold represent the dreamy and also literal aspects of the album.
What's the best thing about being a one-woman show when it comes to writing, producing and performing?
Being a one person project is so beneficial to the music I think, because it means I can be really intimate with what I write and how I want to deliver it. I have so much freedom to produce at my own pace and create when it feels right. Performing on my own is not as rewarding as playing with a band though, so there’s pros and cons. There’s something special about playing music collaboratively in a live setting. Being a solo female act comes with an array of ridiculous expectations that don’t really translate to male acts, so I think that is somewhat difficult to navigate at times.
What advice do you wish you had received about working as a DIY artist when you first started out?
I’m really lucky to have been given quite a lot of advice and support from friends and family when I began pursuing music. Maybe I can offer some to others instead, that if you love it then just keep doing it, and remember that you started doing it for yourself and hold on to that. I recently found this quote by Glenn Gould and his words sum it up perfectly to me:
“I believe that the justification of art is the internal combustion it ignites in the hearts of men and not its shallow, externalized, public manifestations. The purpose of art is not the release of a momentary ejection of adrenaline but is, rather, the gradual, lifelong construction of a state of wonder and serenity.”
Anything else you'd like listeners to know about the single or forthcoming album?
The album is largely about love, spirituality, dreams and emotions. If you are a person who spends time thinking about the vast web of those things then be sure to have a listen to the album. If anything, I would like to know what the listeners think of it all.
Dreaming Again is slated for release on October 10th on cassette and vinyl through 4000 Records and False Peak Records.