North Carolina's Floating Action pulls off an incredible task: combining dub, folk, blues, exotica, bossa nova, garage-rock, soul, gospel, and country into a thoroughly middle-of-the-road product that barely distinguishes itself from the legions of vaguely pleasant-sounding lo-fi garage bands. Floating Action is the alter ego of singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Seth Kauffman, who has already released two full-lengths and one EP under his own name. The rise of digital recording has made it easier for aspiring musicians to release professional-quality recordings right from home, but improved production values do little to disguise the plainness of the songwriting that results from such one-man shows. In Kauffman's defense, Floating Action's eponymous debut avoids the common bedroom-project pitfall of insularity. There's a lot going on in each song: a lot of brass, multi-voice harmonies, maracas galore. The relative complexity of the arrangements and the delicate inter-weaving of musical styles are undone, however, by the laid-back stoner attitude pervading the release. When I envision this band performing live, I see Kauffman in a Hawaiian shirt and a lei, perhaps with a margarita at the foot of his stool, from which he will sip delicately between bouts of stage banter where he drawls questions like, “Is everybody feeling good tonight?” There's a general malaise that saps the vitality bubbling beneath the surface of songs that, with just a little more bite, could have been a lot more memorable.
A big piece of the problem is Kauffman's habit of consistently under-selling the vocals. Songs like the funky ’50s-laced dance number “Marie Claire” or the dubby stomp-off “Don't Stop (Loving Me Now)” are catchy as hell, but they end up shriveling on the vine because of Kauffman's lazy, Southern-fried vocal delivery. And this weakness is only accentuated on the more overtly reggae-influenced tracks like “Pills to Grind” and “So Vapor,” leading to soporific melodies that, even at three-and-a-half minutes, feel over-long. (It is worth pointing out that, of the 14 tracks, only two break the four-minute mark, yet this album feels as though it drags on for hours; it's as though just listening to it pulls you into a stoner-time wormhole.) Compounding Kauffman's problematic delivery is his utter lack of lyrical insight. There is not a turn of a phrase or an image designed to linger in the listener's mind beyond the song's conclusion. Add it all up and you've got the perfect soundtrack to your corner café, something light and upbeat but not too obtrusive, nothing that's going to distract you from your term paper or whatever book you came there to read.
I hate the entire aesthetic surrounding Floating Action. Yes, I know, we can't listen to Wolf Eyes all the time, but even party music needs to muster more energy and mental acuity than this. Kauffman clearly has a talent for arrangement. His best bet would be to pair up with a singer who could act as a fiery Yin to his complacent Yang. Until then, I'll be content to say hi to him next time I'm in the mood for a Chai Mocha Latte.
1. 50 Lashes
2. Marie Claire
3. To Connect
4. Unrobbed
5. Edge of the World
6. So Vapor
7. Don't Stop (Loving Me Now)
8. Cinder Cone
9. Cinder Cone (Part II)
10. Dying Punch
11. Could You Save Me
12. Say Goodbye
13. Tide of Green
14. Pills to Grind
More about: Floating Action
