Tuesday 11 April 2017

Floating Widget - The Sounds Of Earth (EP Review)


Release date: March 02nd 2017. Label: Self Released. Format: DD

The Sounds Of Earth – Tracklisting

1.Rock & Roll Jubilee 02:52
2.Psy Walker 03:16
3.I Am the Temple 03:26
4.Albatross (Nobody Loves an) 04:05
5.Spiderzilla (feat. Snake from Voivod) 02:40

Members:

Matt Demon: drums
Alex Leclerc: guitar
Vincent Peake: bass/vocals
Stéphane Vigeant: guitar

Review

Holy Shit. Now this is a nice surprise. A new EP from Canadian Stoners – Floating Widget. I loved their 2004 debut album – Praises To The Riff Monolith – back in the day. The band haven't released anything since then. I thought they split up until the band contacted me recently to review their new EP. I was thinking - “No, it can't be the same band. They've been missing for 13 years”.

I investigated further and it's the same band. Though with a new vocalist. Damn. If you don't know who Floating Widget are then get with the program. They are a kick ass Psych Stoner Rock band in the vein of Kyuss and other legendary Stoner bands of the day. Their new EP - The Sounds Of Earth – has a more spaced out sound though the familiar riffs of Floating Widget are here to enjoy especially if you're fan like myself.

Opening track – Rock & Roll Jubilee – is a classic style of Desert Rock/Stoner Rock grooves with a modern day sensibility. Vincent on vocals oozes confidences as he spits and chews his way some fantastic lyrics. The riffs will transport you back to the 90s when Stoner Rock/Metal was in it's element.

Second track – Psy Walker – is my fave track as this what Kyuss would sound like if they were still playing to this day. The fuzzy desert grooves match perfectly with Vincent's vocals but it's the frantic drumming of Matt that impressed me the most. Matt's drumming holds everything together as the riffs build upon Matt's drumming and Vincent's vocals have a classic feel to them.

Third track – I Am The Temple – is a more straight-forward Stoner Rock/Metal song with the band opting for a faster approach and one that sees the band playing a more stylized Space Rock sound. It's another winning track from these hugely talented stoners.

The final two tracks – Albatross (Nobody Loves On) and Spiderzilla – offer perhaps the heaviest moments on the EP. Especially Spiderzilla as that's more of a heavy metal number with a special guest appearance featuring Snake from Voivod.

It's a shame that the EP is s only on 16 minutes. We've waited such a long time for a new record. I'm hoping a full length album will be released sooner than later. I'm 40 years old now. I don't want to be waiting for a Tool-esque length for album no 2. Just saying guys....

Anyway, The Sounds Of Earth is a must have release for all serious Desert/Stoner Rock fans. Plain and Simple.

Words by Steve Howe

Links:

Facebook | BandCamp