Cloud Cult's Meaning of 8 (buy now, tour dates) v. The Arcade Fire's Neon Bible

I'm fully aware that Neon Bible leaked this past weekend and I'm not touching it. At least not yet. I think I'll give it a serious look before seeing them on 2/15 in NYC which I think seems fair since I'd rather be familiar with the new material. Of course, under normal circumstances I'd jump right into it but I am fully immersed in the new Cloud Cult album, The Meaning of 8. I've often told friends of indie music that Cloud Cult are absolutely the best band that you've never heard of. Advice from the Happy Hippopotamus is a masterpiece in all of it's 25-song glory and should be anyone's first stop before getting into the rest of their back catalog. The Meaning of 8 is equally amazing in so many ways - the first 10 songs alone are enough to make it one of best albums of the past 12 months. The prevalent themes of Happy Hippo are back again but 8 is a much tighter collection of songs. "Take Your Medicine" is already in the early running for song of the year. You can stream that and two others here. It may be January 29th but I can safely say that this will be one of, if not the, best releases of the year. Their days of being an underground indie band are likely over - assuming they even want that.

The album hits stores on April 10th but after checking out their site this morning, the album is available NOW for purchase. If you are in any way considering purchasing this album, I strongly recommend going through the Cloud Cult site rather than an outside retailer (as anyone who follows this band will almost certainly understand). To make it more enticing, they're offering 5 different purchase packages ranging from $10 - $100 with inclusion of past albums, t-shirts, downloads, etc.

More details - go here to BUY. Trust me on this one.

They've also released the first round of tour dates.

2/10: Ashland, WI- Northland College Alvord Theater (all ages)
3/3: Middlebury, VT - Middlebury College McCullough Social Space (all ages)
3/14-3/17: Austin, TX - SXSW (showcase on 3/15 at 10pm Emo's)
3/30: Minneapolis, MN - "Meaning of 8" CD Release and tour kickoff
4/4: Athens, GA - Tasty World
4/5: Atlanta, GA - Smith's Old Bar
4/7: Elkins, WV
4/14: New York, NY - Mercury Lounge
4/24: Bozeman, MT
4/25: Missoula, MT - The Loft (18+) $8
4/26: Portland, OR - Fez Ballroom (21+) $10
4/27: Seattle, WA - Neumos (all ages) $10