Review / 200 Words Or Less
Cloudkicker
It's Inside Me, And I'm Inside It

Ohio prog-metal artist Ben Sharp, moniker Cloudkicker, has been in the forefront of the Internet-based free music community since the release of The Discovery in 2008. His new single “It's inside me and I'm inside it.” comes on the tail of his previous single “You and Yours,” which explored a lot of his Isis-esque post-metal influences. This track, conversely, explores a different facet of Sharp's music: acoustic rock. Even though the single starts off softly, it quickly embraces Sharp's traditional wall-of-sound style soon after. It's quite cathartic to hear the layers upon layers of acoustic melodies. This piece combines the crushing depth of The Discovery with the lighter sensibility of tracks from Beacons. It's an incredibly solid piece—exactly what we expect from Mr. Sharp—and certainly raises expectations for his next album.

Though the single came with a warning not to expect new EPs or albums for a while, this track will please almost everyone. Though it's no longer available for download on his website, the artist encourages the use of file share networks to distribute his material for free, so pick it up wherever you can.