Anathallo – Floating World (CD)

The use of what sounds to be the drum clanking together scores of sticks for “Ame” is an easy way to go and increase the fury of the album without resorting to normal methods. What is immediately noticeable about Anathallo has to be their ability to control the emotional content of their tracks on “Floating World”. Individuals can be thrown into a rage or made completely excited just by the rich instrumentation that Anathallo puts on this album.

What Anathallo plays here is a brand of indie rock that does not have the pretentious atmosphere of acts like Grandaddy and The Flaming Lips, but rather creates something brilliant in a human and accessible way. Tracks do not all need to create a full sound during their runtime. For example, the five and a half minute runtime of “Genessaret” has the band go through a number of movements without tying them together. The band is able to come up with almos tan hour of music with the greatest of ease. Each of the compositions on “Floating World” seem so effortless that to see the band shed even one tear during a live set would break the fourth wall. For example, a track like “Hoodwink” can bring in cultural sounds that would not normally seem congruous with Anathallo’s style of music . This means that “Hoodwink” can include a movement that sounds more fitting with a stomp festival than anything else on “Floating World”.

The fact that Anathallo can come up with something that sounds so noisy and out of place with their “By Number” shows that the band has a sense of humor. However odd the song may sound, the fact is that there is some method for Anathallo’s madness. The band gradually comes down into something much more approachable with this track, while still coming forth with something that will challenge and push listeners in ways that they have never went before. The band has so many diverse directions that it takes on “Floating World” that I have no clue what cubbyhole to stick them in. I would have to say that they best fit into indie rock, as the compositions on “Floating World” are so out there and some tracks (like the ending movement of “By Number”) have a heavy Radiohead influence). Anathallo has came out of nowhere to wow listeners with this album; this will be the disc that everyone talks about for months, if not years to come.

Top Tracks: By Number, Inu

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]

Anathallo – Floating World / 2006 Nettwerk / 14 Tracks / http://www.anathallo.com / http://www.nettwerk.com / Reviewed 28 July 2006