At first listen, Cave Clove’s “Closer to the Moon” sounds conspicuously frictionless, as if gliding forward in zero gravity. Synthesizers swirl in broad strokes, Katie Clover’s elegant melodies come pouring out and wide bass notes fill out the lower end of the sonic space. Yet for all its soothing instrumentation, there’s a bitterness embedded in Clover’s wistful descriptions of the passing of time; coursing forward as effortlessly as the song she has crafted.
The most minute deviations from the song’s tranquil current sound brilliantly jarring: a little guitar break gives Clover the chance to highlight an off-tempo strum that breaks the song’ placid surface. An intake of breath, little tense knots in the synths; these little moments catch in your ear and can captivate you as much as Clover’s voice.
At the end of “Closer to the Moon,” Clover bids us farewell with words of acceptance, as she allows herself to be swept away. “I’ll take that ride,” she sings resolutely before the song dissolves into a wordless coda. Even after it’s over, though, you might find that a ghost of her voice stays with you.
Cave Clove plays Doc’s Lab in San Francisco this Wednesday with Be Calm Honcho and Kendra McKinley. “Closer to the Moon,” appears on the single “Kyrie,” out now on Royal Oakie Records.
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