Wow. What a comforting voice! This voice warms me like a blanket on a cold night. This songs all hit me in my wheelhouse. Very spacey and heavenly music to go along with some absolutely soul-inspiring vocals. These songs walk the tight rope between pop and edgy. This is pop with some teeth and some muscle. It isn’t some watered down version of music . This IS music.
You may not have heard the name Rob Laufer before, but “The Floating World” may change that. Rob has had a very successful career working with such artists as Frank Black, Fiona Apple, Cheap Trick, BB King, and Johnny Cash, among others. Rob was also in the cast of Beatlemania and those influences shine through brightly in Rob’s music.
Space And Time (Track 5) sounds as if it could be a Beatles’ song on “Abbey Road” or “The White Album”. The vocals are absolutely beautiful and rival the greats, including Lennon and McCartney. This song is spacey, trippy, and oh so sonically pleasing. Three listens in and I don’t think it is enough to scratch the itch. I will give it a few more listens for good measure.
I love a beautiful pop song that is well written and well constructed. It doesn’t get much better than Hippie Love (Track 10). Yes, this is pop music in its purest, most unadulterated form. Just well written words and music played honestly and with tons of passion. A winning formula.
The songs are quite varied and really hit on a number of genres. I am particularly vulnerable to songs that are classified as “dream pop”. Those are songs that have beautiful harmonies and vocals backed by the most comforting and pleasing music imaginable. Just take a list to Highway Machine (Track 2) if you don’t wish to take my word for it. It just makes me want to cry tears of joy. It is a very emotional experience.
This entire album evokes very strong emotions for me. The vocals, song construction, and musicianship are about as good as it gets. These songs are heady and cutting edge, while still being radio friendly. I recommend this album highly with a strong buy recommendation.
