Kutkloud

The name Kutkloud is exactly the kind of odd joke Pink Cloud might put on a sleeve. Their first album under that name, after Johnny, Louis & Char, has the feeling of three players following whatever a session brings. Sixteen songs pass by with little concern for a single polished mood.

“Little Harbor” seems to swerve into a sudden ska rhythm just when you think you know where it is going. Then “Everyday, Everynight” offers one of those mellow melodies that arrives almost by accident and makes the whole record feel warmer. That contrast, loose and unexpectedly tender, is much of the band's appeal.