In the vein of The Beach Boys Pet Sounds, The Beatles Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band, and John Lennon and Yoko Ono's Two Virgin's, nothing has really, for the most part, done much trend-setting. Well, without further ado, I'd like you to meet Half-handed Cloud, or John Ringhofer. A quirky Tennessean, he has taken his peculiar live set to the pearly fields of Cornerstone and toured with indie geniuses The Danielson Family. With Learning About Your Scale, get ready.

In Learning About Your Scale Ringhofer uses everything but the kitchen sink (I shouldn't say that, because it might give him an idea for his next project). He utilizes toy instruments, bird chirps, air conditioners, phone calls from friends, and much, much more throughout. The sad part is, that this is an amazing album. But wait, I know what your thinking, "Anybody can find an air conditioner and make music," right? Well maybe, or not, but Half-handed Cloud also knows how to make the perfectly crafted 3 minute pop tune. "Those People We Made? We Love ‘Em" and "Can't Even Breathe On My Own Two Feet" sets Ringhofer apart from the mass of people trying to be "different." Ringhofer is different and the same in one fatal swoop of the musical chopping board.

If you could put into words what Half-handed Cloud does, I'd tell ya your lying. All I can know for sure though, is, that you need to pick up Learning About Your Scale. This is one of my favorite albums, probably, of all time. I think that we could all learn a little something from Mr. Ringhofer; if not about Jesus, then about being ourselves, even if that's a quirky ambient artistic creature.

- Review date: 5/7/02, written by Blake Garris