Named after a vintage Gretsch bass drum pedal, Floating Action is the pseudonym of Black Mountain, North Carolina-based musician, songwriter, and producer Seth Kauffman. Following the 2007 homemade gem 'Research' (released under his own name) and Floating Action's gorgeously understated self-titled follow-up from 2009, Park the Van is proud to release Desert Etiquette, Kauffman's third full-length with the New Orleans based indie label.
Desert Etiquette is the most stripped-down Floating Action affair to date. Aside from one pedal steel recording on the closing track, every song on Desert Etiquette was written, performed, produced, and recorded by Kauffman himself. His d.i.y. approach is the result of his insatiable searching; chasing the ultimate musical moment: "When an idea comes in directly from above, you can often capture it in it's pure state by eliminating the middle man. Sometimes bottling it at the source is just easier, and nothing gets lost in translation." Kauffman's friend and collaborator, Band of Horses bassist Bill Reynolds, mixed the record in a similarly off-the-cuff vein-live and spontaneously, using a vintage Trident console.
There's no such thing as a "typical" Floating Action song. Folk, soul, southern-rock, gospel, surf, and bedroom lo-fi somehow coexist and cohere in the same record-even the same song. There is, however, a distinct Floating Action sound. Kauffman's warm recordings and lushly anachronistic sound is uniquely his. The attentiveness given to production quality is palpable; you can all but hear the vinyl crackle in gently graceful tunes like "Please Reveal" or "Rincon." Like Dr. Dog keyboardist Zach Miller said in a recent interview, "His songs are timeless, effortless, and instantly memorable."
This new batch of songs is his most focused effort yet. These dedications to stillness and solitude transcend into repeat-listens rather comfortably. Desert Etiquette's lonely, shimmering songs were recorded without ornamentation or embellishment-often using less than eight tracks per song-and the imagery of Kauffman's lyrics shines through. Kauffman likens the stark result to Floating Action's version of Dylan's John Wesley Harding. With its pared-down instrumentation, Desert Etiquette is distinctly human-scale, a melancholic elegy to the sublime, violent beauty of the American landscape that aims to "capture the feeling you get when you're in Big Sur." Floating Action is certainly a southern band-tinges of blues, gospel, and country lace most of their songs-but as Kauffman says, "We're a southern band whose hearts are in the west coast."
Floating Action - Please Reveal - Park The Van Records by Low Life Inc
www.floatingaction.com
floatingactionmusic.bandcamp.com
Floating Action Tour Dates:
Feb 18 Raliegh, NC @ King's
Feb 19 Wilimington, NC @ Satellite Lounge
Feb 25 Asheville, NC @ Emerald Lounge
Feb 28 Denver @ Hi-Dive
Mar 4 Arcata, CA @ Humboldt Brews
Mar 5 Sacramento, CA @ Marilyns
Mar 6 San Francisco, CA @ Hotel Utah
Mar 9 Santa Cruz, CA @ The Crepe Place
Mar 11 Los Angeles, CA @ Hotel Cafe
Mar 12 San Luis Obispo, CA @ Downtown Brew
Mar 13 San Diego, CA @ Bar Pink
Mar 14 Tempe, AZ @ The Sail Inn
Mar 16 Austin, TX @ Convention Center (3pm)
Mar 18 Austin, TX @ Mi Casa Cantina (Park the Van SXSW Showcase)
Mar 18 Austin, TX @ Cheers (Treehouse Party)
Mar 19 Laredo, TX @ Old No. 2
Mar 20 San Antonio, TX @ The Limelight
Mar 21 Shreveport, LA @ Bear's Oyster House
Mar 22 New Orleans, LA @ The Wolf Den
Mar 23 Hattiesburg, MS @ The Thirsty Hippo
