Floating World (2006)

Product Summary Label: Nettwerk Records UPC: 00067003053822 Release Date: 6/6/2006 Buy.com Sku: 202576224 Item#: M2WXF7 Format:  CD Song Listing   Disc 1 Song Title Sample 1. Ame ------ 2. Genessaret (Going Out Over 30,000 Fathoms Of Water) ------ 3. Hoodwink ------ 4. By Number ------ 5. Dokkoise House (With Face Covered) ------ 6. Hanasakajijii (Four: A Great Wind, More Ash) ------ 7. Hanasakajijii (One: The Angry Neighbor) ------ 8. Inu (Howling) ------ 9. Hanasakajijii (Two: Floating World) ------ 10. Bruised Reed, The ------ 11. Yuki! Yuki! Yuki! ------ 12. Hanasakajijii (Three: The Man Who Made Dead Trees Bloom) ------ 13. Cuckoo Spitting Blood ------ 14. Kasa No Hone (The Umbrella's Bones) ~ (Japanese) ------   Album Notes and Credits Notes & Personnel Info Anathallo's Floating World is a convincing rejoinder to the notion that there's nothing new in the rock world. The band takes its name from the Greek word meaning "to renew or refresh," and the Mount Pleasant, MI, septet sounds not only, well, refreshingly new, but like little else in rock music -- "rock" being a very elastic definition in this case, since familiar elements from the genre play a minimal role in Floating World's musical tapestry. The record veers all over the shop, from post-rock freakouts, classical chamber group motifs, and avant-garde jazz to the hushed intimacy of Sufjan Stevens, the Decemberists' operatic inclinations, and the cut-and-paste machinations of the Books and Animal Collective. Self-confessed high-school marching band geeks, Anathallo rely on a host of off-kilter instrumentation to create slow-burn intros that blossom into full-throated crescendos, typically highlighted by complex vocal harmonies and counterpoint singing. The songs feature everything from melodica, glockenspiel, trumpets, and trombones (lots of trombones, actually) to Velcro peels and socket-wrench whirs. And these aren't just support accents, either, but often starring roles. There are more traditional elements, too, like guitars, piano, and a lead singer (Matt Joynt), but shifting styles and meters, restless tempos, and the kitchen-sink instrument approach preclude orthodox readings. There are moments when the mishmash of styles seems to take the place of actual songcraft, and the reliance on handclap percussion becomes annoying after the first dozen or so instances. You may also miss a good-quality bottom end from time to time. But when all the various elements coalesce, as they do on the four songs that make up the "Hanasakajijii" suite, the results manage the neat trick of being so inventive as to inspire the simplest joy. You can't dance to it, but when you need a break from 4/4 beats and standard rock fare, this Floating World is a good one to visit. ~ John Schacht   Compilation Appearances For The Kids Three   Technical Info Release Date : 06/06/2006 Original Release Date : 2006 Catalog ID : 30538 Label : Nettwerk Number of Discs : 1 Studio/Live : Studio Mono/Stereo : Stereo SPAR Code : n/a UPC : 00067003053822    Related Videos In Search of Solid Ground... Draw The Line: David Gray