Flotation Walls: Nature
06.04.09 • by Ben Chenoweth
MP3: Willis the Fireman by Flotation Walls
Flotation Walls, lead in one version or another by Carlos Avendaño, have been haunting the Columbus music scene for what seems like nearly a decade. During those years there have been flourishes of activity and long periods of apparent dormancy. But one thing we’ve been missing throughout is a proper full length from these guys. So to say that the release of the Nature LP tomorrow at Skully’s has been a long time coming is no exaggeration.
I mean, with all the talk and speculation and legitimate anticipation surrounding a release date and the subsequent passage of those dates, this record is pretty much Columbus’s Chinese Democracy. Really- after the release of a nugget or two in 2003, people were pissed when this thing was delayed until December of 2004. The Chinese Democracy comparison is mostly for the sake of humor, but it has its utility too. In both cases, the elapsed time between conception and delivery was used by the respective captains to tweak, add to, and retool the contents and production in an effort to produce a grandiose master work. To a degree both Carlos and Axl have, in striving for an epic album, managed a certain amount of success and at times to overdo it as well. The analogy begins to break down when looking at the final product though, as the triumph versus try-too-hard ratio clearly favors the Flotation Walls. (more…)
The Detroit boys’ second full-length record on 
Parallel with the conundrums caused by bands like the Black Angels and Silversun Pickups in years past, this Jacksonsville quintet dropped a full-length that contained all of the songs from their previous EP, an EP ranked highly by 
The first legitimate newcomer to this list, this Aussie duo’s album caught my attention in the last month and has kept a stranglehold on it since. With their smoother crooning and production on one hand and their more outrageous ’80s aping on the other, these guys have managed to out-MGMT MGMT in my brain. The lyric “Don’t want to talk, all I hear is noise” often makes sense to me. Hopefully this is released domestically soon.
Kyle Sowash, a Columbus musician and promoter for the ages, and his self-named band released their second album in 2008 to fine results. Kyle wears his emotions on his sleeve, and turns his stories and dreams into ramshackle “classic indie rock” singalongs. While the songs range from heartbreaking to hilarious, the hooks and the solid playing of the ensemble tie them together.
I know, they weren’t out-MGMT’d by much. These wacky dudes’ album is a bit more gnarled than Walking On The Sun, but the quirky catchiness of these tunes keeps them on repeat. They also show some range in moving from dance jams to acoustic singalongs, while hitting most BPMs in between.
This is where the list stumbles along on $ellout autopilot…no no, I love this album. I grew up listening to Graceland, so while the guys might have drawn some inspiration there, they have created new worldly anthems for the youngsters. While the album is frontloaded with “hits,” album cuts like “One (Blake’s Got A New Face)” and “Walcott” are also brimming with smug charm.
Alright, let’s get back to the grime in the shadows. These Mike Rep-recorded lo-fi jams started to see physical life in the waning days of 2007, but the album was “officially” released in 2008. 
This quartet originated in Louisville, KY, and the fact that its members are now spread to the four winds may account for numerous periods of inactivity. However, they appear to have returned to life in 2008 and managed to finally release The Grand Hooded Phantom, which includes a few spruced-up versions of old demos but mostly boasts new (to me) material. After a beguiling trumpet-powered intro, they launch into a grungy sonic assault, rife with hooks, triumph, and despair which rocked hard enough for repeated spins on my iPod.
One of the more apt album titles of the year. Since the demise of A Tribe Called Quest, fans have watched the leading man stumble through a poppy solo debut, a shelved out-there jazz project, and long periods out of the spotlight. However, he returned to form in 2008 with a well-rounded release that shows the rapper finding a soulful, mature sound that is still vibrant and relevant to the better of today’s hip-hop sounds.
Tony Collinger made great strides in 2008. Though his previous producer Amos Famous moved to Cali, he then set to work with production from Weightless boss Blueprint. The result of this collaboration is an album of sonic and lyrical explorations that remains consistent in quality. I agree with Duffy’s predictions of Envelope’s bright future.
We Have You Surrounded shows these veterans of Detroit garage moving further away from such tags. While classic soul stompers like “Ever Lovin’ Man” never get old, Mick Collins also leads the bands into new categories like long noise tracks (!) and French ballads, which often result in exciting compositions.
This is another one that snuck up on me in the last of the year. The gently warbling vocals of Keith Wood (at times strangely reminiscent of Robert Plant!) are immersed in calming folk settings that even gallop into a backwoods groove from time to time. A new late night favorite.
This record is likely my most played vinyl LP of the year. Celebration does a more than ample job of capturing the live energy of these Alabamans, who are oft-described as a deep soul version of Television. I’m beginning to think that I can describe most of these albums as catchy, but with songs like “Can’t Say No” and “Filthy Flowers,” I can think of no other way to say it.
Though their scheduled 2008 Columbus live appearances were upended by setbacks (Great Power Outage of ‘08, lead singer Aaron Lazar losing his voice), their new recorded output almost makes up for it. The metal-edged hard rock here snaps into plenty of hooks and riffs that are honed into songs of most descriptions, even 7-minute laments about Medicaid applications.
