Floating Action

What exactly is Floating Action? Like a creature from the Dungeons & Dragons’ Monster Manual, it defies categorization. Bird, fish, reptile, mammal, or amphibian? Its taxonomy’s as perplexing as Nicolas Cage’s career trajectory. All you can do is define its constituent parts, which on last year’s self-titled debut, ranged through a variety of cross-pollinated genres, including folk, blues, dub, soul, country, gospel, psych, indietronica and lo-fi. Its unsteady gait, quavering vocals and unpolished demeanor conjure a certain intimacy, while the wealth of background vocals, limber arrangements, and the wide array of inviting instrumental embellishments (violin, sitar, swelling organ rides, sputtering breakbeats, synthetic brass and a wealth of percussion) suggest something much more ambitious.

It’s far easier to say who Floating Action isFloating Action is—one Seth Kauffman. He released several similarly eclectic albums (including 2007’s Research for current label Park the Van) and an EP under his own name before adopting this new moniker. Kauffman plays every instrument (aside from a lone bass track) in the multifarious songs, constructing an inventive tapestry without becoming sonically overbearing. While hardly understated, there’s a warm, homey aspect which recalls the work of Sparklehorse's Mark Linkous. The disparate styles are by design, as Kaufmann attempts to garb songs in uncommon textures for their mien, be it the soul, calypso, psych-pop blend of “Marie Claire,” or the dub-country-gospel blues of “Pills to Grind.” Though it could easily descend into a disorienting goulash, Kauffman has a firm grasp on his effects and doesn’t try to cram too much into a song. His adventurousness recalls Beck, though it feels markedly less self-conscious.

Since the album’s release, he’s assembled a crack backing band that can be heard on Live at the Grey Eagle, a free download available from his label webpage. —Chris Parker