Everyone’s favorite progressive indie duo of Brandon Peterson and Dan Bouza (with intermittent collaborators) has amassed a literal handful of albums and EPs over the past decade, spanning minimalistic acoustic to orchestral to electric-guitar-driven. Here’s our definitive tier ranking in order of release.

Blind Willow (2013) – B Tier

The breakout EP tends to get buried by the fuller instrumentation and stronger production of newer releases, but it shows roots of what eventually became the signature Cloud Caverns sound. This is one of the most simple and barren releases, resting heavily on Peterson’s voice and lyrics. There’s some bleed over from Hotel of the Laughing Tree on “Unto Ourselves” but other tracks embrace a truer folk mentality. Even so, Peterson has always had a distinct flavor in his songwriting and “Incandenza’s Wraith” feels like a precursor to “B. Ritter” in some ways. But if we’re honest, no one should start here in their Cloud Caverns journey. The songwriting is fine but some of the ideas are much more developed on subsequent releases.

Gypsy Loft (2014) – C Tier

One year later, Gypsy Loft emerges. It immediately feels more developed and serious, both with its art and falsetto-driven opening track. There are a LOT of guests this time around to fill things out, and production has improved a bit as well. This is the closest to folk Cloud Caverns has come, but this tends to manifest in sleepy songs. “Sparrow” toys with some concepts that are just thrown out for the rest of the album. “Ladybird” is the shortest song here, but it has some of that CC special sauce. “MacArthur” is another defector that again feels like a Hotel track. It might be the heaviest Cloud Caverns track in some respects. It’s an album speckled with some of the most unique AND most boring tracks in the discography.

Holy Gloom (2016) – S Tier

Holy Gloom sees Cloud Caverns move in a bolder direction, complete with more captivating tracks and fuller orchestration. Both the opening and closing tracks are some of the strongest in the whole discography. And the lyrical narrative of weaving literature with moving across the country and the despairs of being an artist makes for some truly powerful storytelling. There isn’t one specific sonic focus here, either – there’s fun, pensive, and spooky. Layers, layers, layers. It’s really the best incarnation of Cloud Caverns as a whole. There are some stronger single tracks on other records, but as a whole, Holy Gloom is the best place for a new listener to start. It’s a behemoth, sitting at 14 tracks and over 52 minutes long – so there’s plenty of time to get to know the duo here.

Collective Memory (2016) – A Tier

The second Cloud Caverns LP of 2016 is perhaps one of the easiest to miss, but it’s haunting and beautiful in its simplicity. “Home”, “Josie”, and “The Colorless Rebellion” are all heart-wrenching and painfully-honest in their own ways. This is a human album, complete with mistakes and imperfections – but in the midst of this, the songwriting shines. Peterson takes the fundamentals of Blind Willow and approaches them with more life behind him, and the result is a microscopic look at life and its aches.

Rivers Old and Lost (2018) – C Tier

Rivers Old and Lost is a unique entry in the Cloud Caverns discography for many reasons. It’s interesting how the lack of AJ Estrada’s art has visually registered it as an illegitimate entry in the collection in my mind. Listening back, the album is better than I remembered – but it largely lacks standout tracks and a lot of the spirit that makes Cloud Caverns what it is. Peterson even notes the way it breaks tradition – it’s an electric, distorted, even angry at times. “Antechamber”, “A Day in the Sun”, and “Tightrope Silence” are perhaps the most interesting of the bunch – but admittedly, even they aren’t enough to redeem my interest here.

A Banner Year (2020) – A Tier

The latest entry sees Cloud Caverns at their most balanced. Most of the songs are similarly-enjoyable, and once again we’re greeted with some of the very best tracks the group have to offer. “The Eleventh Hour Effort”, “Boris the Manskinner” and “Pleasant Hill” are particular standouts. “Odd Thing” and “Etwas” are a bit harder to digest, and “Together” is a weighty track for a number of reasons. So, you’ve got a little bit of the acoustic angle, some synths, some piano pieces, some upbeat moments, and a fair bit of pain. In some ways, it’s a return to form from Holy Gloom, even if it’s not quite as strong in some ways. But it’s proof Cloud Caverns have not stagnated and aren’t afraid of taking calculated risks. It’s a sharp left from Rivers in some ways, but it pays off.

Cloud Caverns is one of those acts that feels criminally unnoticed for how strong the songwriting is and how intentional each of Peterson’s lyrics are. Peterson’s career spans over a decade at this point in various projects, and it shows. And Bouza’s production has only gotten better as well. Add in the tight-knit community of talent that surrounds these gentlemen and you’ve got an incredible recipe for something. It might not be ‘success’, at least not in a traditional way, but they’ve proven the upper limit of what cross-country collaboration and bedroom recording can accomplish.