Clouds

Clouds' Legendary Demo EP was generally pretty decent, blending sludge rock with dips into dub and groove, even if some took it as a bad sign that the group covered Frank Zappa's "Willie the Pimp" by renaming it "Magic Hater," hoping nobody would notice. The band isn't pure stoner rock; a tinge of Fugazi turns up here and there, too. Still, Clouds' allegiance to the Big Riff came through loud and clear, and on last year's We Are Above You, the Bostonians offered a roaring, melodic sound that seemed almost certain to blow the walls down in a live context. The guys are perfectly paired with equally amp-frying and hook-happy labelmates Torche (whose second full-length, Meanderthal, was one of the most impressive metal-ish CDs of the year) on this club tour, and the slightly artier Coliseum offers a third dose of riff-based punishment that's sure to drive sweaty, drunken dudes pitward.