Cloudeater - 'Hollow'

Take steampunk and put a microphone in front of its mouth. Layer processed vocals pure as a 12-speed Schwinn bike, gears newly greased, over the soundtrack to what seems like an industrial power plant. In the first fifteen seconds, Atlanta-based Cloudeater makes it clear that “Hollow” will not be a song to be taken lightly. The mien of metal construction that is initially created does not last forever; in the last two minutes “Hollow” becomes not just a title, but the sonic manifestation of the song itself. “I stay empty, I feel the hunger,” repeats Sam Dew, lead singer of Cloudeater. But it feels estranged from the first time that he sang it, casually tossing it out as a piece of vapid poetic language. This time it’s a strident and helpless plea. Keep listening, and you’ll hear every line repeated from the first part of the song, but every line generating more energy than its predecessor. “Hollow” ends as its name suggests, repeating hollow again and again. A hollow reminder of what has been and subsequently what will never change.