Clouddead (album)
Clouddead (stylized as cLOUDDEAD) is the debut album by American hip hop trio Clouddead. It was released on May 1, 2001 on Big Dada in the United Kingdom and on May 8, 2001 on Mush Records in the United States. Critical reception. Stevie Chick of "NME" said, "This music takes the most abstract fallout of trip-hop as its starting point, working in white noise, telephone pranks and post-rock textures to create a disorientating mush you'll spend weeks getting lost in." Thomas Quinlan of "Exclaim!" said, "Clouddead follows more along the lines of Frank Zappa or  Captain Beefheart than it does hip-hop, but it remains rooted at all times in beats and samples." Clay Jarvis of "Stylus Magazine" gave the album a grade of A, saying, "No combination of adjectives could accurately portray what you'll hear and no second-hand gushing will prepare you for the immense pleasure that is sure to wash over you when you put this album on." Mark Pytlik of AllMusic gave the album 4 stars out of 5, saying, "It's menacing, it's enthralling, and it's one of few modern-day records (hip-hop or otherwise) that  honestly doesn't sound like anything -- or anyone -- else." In 2014, it was described by Arron Merat of "Fact" as "a key touchstone for the North American hip-hop underground." Personnel. Credits adapted from liner notes.