half-handed cloud

berkeley's john ringhofer, who you may know by his musical alias half-handed cloud, likes to keep things short. take, for example, the addictive and sweet little song below, off of his 2006 album halos & lassos, which clocks in at about a quarter to two:

half-handed cloud - picnic few want

ringhofer's a pretty decent lyricist, too, avoiding the massive repetition of single phrases or couplets that often get passed as lyrics and creating odd images that very nearly don't work, that end up holding more currency than you initially suspect. as in the way he closes out "picnic few want" with the lines, "avoids kisses and hugs, like a snake with earplugs, that ignores the charmer's tune and stays immune to loving you," and the snake and earplugs bit nearly trips you up. but he sticks with the idea, allows it to develop into something strange but sturdy enough, ultimately, to deliver a rich emotional moment.


you can find a handful of additional half-handed cloud downloads on his asthmatic kitty artist page. or stream some over at myspace.

and: keep an eye out for a.g.'s local bay area bands compilation, due any minute now, or as soon as i get my act in gear, and on which a spot will surely be saved for ringhofer.