Listening to another me: Floating Me

I’m biased because I know the guitarist briefly, but I’ve been getting into the debut album of “Floating Me” -if you’re a fan of Aussie band COG, Karnivool or Scary Mother, then Floating Me is the band for you as it features members from all three.  Looking at their bio (on http://floatingme.com/bio/) it looks like they’ve all been friends for quite a while but things haven’t come together until recently with the release of their self-title LP this month. I only bought the album a few days ago but already it’s growing on me… “Sugar” definitely sounds to me like the ‘single’ of the album, but all the songs explore sonic boundaries with awsome, heavy and rich orchestration in the mix…

For Sydneyites hoping to catch them live, they’ll play at The Annandale on April the 29th… Or see details on Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/floatingme

What makes bands more interesting than solo artists?

There’s something about the rock band. It’s like a ‘band of brothers’ coming together, not just to make music but to change the world. (Of course, not to be sexist, we can have a ‘band of brothers and sisters’).

A band has a distinct style and image, even a mystique, like the whole is greater than the sum of their parts.

Could you imagine Bono soloing without Edge’s delaying riffs? Could you imagine The Who without drummer Keith Moon? Plus there are the songwriting teams: Lennon and McCartney -a songwriting duo that changed the face of rock music. Sure they did well when they went solo, but obviously there’s something special about The Beatles.

That’s why I’m a bit dubious about INXS’s attempts to make a comeback with a new singer -Michael Hutchins. The guy is an Australian Icon after all.

When a band comes together, each player brings a uniqueness. It’s something that separates them from a bunch of session musicians. Even their weaknesses can become strengths. This is one reason why I believe there’s a certain romantic notion about bringing a band together. It’s musical camaraderie.