Floyds Row – The Carlisle Sessions
Floyds Row – The Carlisle Sessions – EP Review
Honestly, I’ll forever be fascinated with how culturally-based music continues to thrive like it has throughout the years. Don’t get me wrong – chances are YOU have a connection of some sort with the kind of music you might find drifting through your windows on a hot summer day wherever you live, because it genuinely makes sense that you would find your own local culture on display in a variety of ways throughout the beautiful place you call home. Having said that, it’s a whole other thing when you can transcend the limitations of borders with music of any kind, let alone a much more specific type of sound that some would theoretically understand or connect with much stronger than others would – so yeah…I maintain, it’s actually downright strange that some of the more niche styles of songs we find out there in this world continue to find new fans all around the map when they possess such a localized kind of vibe. Maybe it’s the travelers out there…maybe when they have to work and can’t strap on their backpacks for a couple months while they recharge their bank accounts, they throw on something like Floyds Row to remind them of why they love to get out there in the world and explore all kinds of new things from different countries and cultural traditions. It would somewhat explain my own resistance to this kind of stuff, given that I rarely ever leave the house, and even more rarely leave North America. What little exposure I do get to traditional/culturally-based sound sadly doesn’t come from any kind of worldly experience – I tend to get it here through the site, or through movies and televisions shows etc.
I look at it, and listen to it, in two different ways at the same time. On the one hand, when I hear a song like “George Washington’s Favorite Cotillion,” I can certainly appreciate the skills and talent it would take to play a song like this and certainly as well as Floyds Row does it, but by the same token, I have to acknowledge that it’s never going to be the kind of style of sound that sends me running back to repeat it. That’s not on them – that’s entirely on me and my utter lack of worldly experience, apologies to all. But it is also interesting to know personally, first hand, how objective I’ve been throughout the course of my decades-long career in music journalism and how I’m always willing to sit down & listen to whatever comes my way, especially when it’s as well played as what you’ll hear on The Carlisle Sessions, but I don’t know what it is that stops me from enjoying much music that sounds like it was created from a century ago. It’s just never been my thing, I’ll be upfront about that before we get too deep here. I do however think that musicians like those in Floyds Row deserve a ton of credit though for not only preserving a historical type of sound that most others would never dare to even attempt to play, but for making music that is obviously not in the mainstream in the same way that the typical genres of Pop, Rock, Metal etc. end up becoming a part of the fabric in our everyday life. Again, if you’re local, chances are this kind of sound IS right there at the supermarket or whatever for ya – but if you’re not, let’s be real here – something like “George Washington’s Favorite Cotillion” faces an enormously uphill battle when it comes to reaching the masses in the same ways that we know mainstream music tends to do. A band like Floyds Row is more likely to reach you through some kind of historical tribute or theatre show, rather than have you finding it on the ol’ Top 40 stations, you feel me? And it takes real guts to make music like that at the end of the day, knowing that it’s infinitely harder to get your tunes to an audience – so don’t it twisted, all personal preferences aside, I absolutely respect the dedication of Floyds Row.
I guess this is all a roundabout way of saying that, as a person that lacks a significant amount of worldly experience and culture that most people inherently tend to possess, I’d have to be in such a certain type of mood to want to put this kind of music on, despite the skill it’s so obviously played with. Like – think of it this way – you actually have to think about this, and I’d say in the majority of cases, you don’t usually need to think about what you’re listening to at all…you’d feel it, or maybe it’s something you can just easily sing along with. In the case of like, listening to a track like “Henry Martin,” Floyds Row is essentially not only asking you to listen to a very specific style of music that has little flexibility to who it would immediately appeal to, but they’re practically asking us to LEARN as we listen…and that takes WORK! Again – to be clear, I salute the mission they’re on, even if it doesn’t quite resonate with me as much as it surely would with others – I didn’t say I don’t like this, nor would I tell you that it’s impossible for me to like this – but I do readily acknowledge that I’d have to be in the strangest of moods to just up and put a record like this one on. I don’t have a theatrical bone in my body, so that makes it tougher, the educational aspect of it all is a hair short of feeling like I’m back in the classroom trying to learn about medieval times, and the cultural sound overall makes it so very tough for me to find my way in here. That being said, of course I appreciate the writing and the performance of Floyds Row from start to finish, because how could you not? The band is filled with excellent and unique musicianship, the vocals from Emily Noël are practically superhuman as far as my ears are concerned, and the way this song crafts itself a wonderful place in between being a highly detailed narrative and traditional melody is truly something to behold. I might not always be in the mood to learn, but I’m almost always in the mood for a great tale being told, and you’ll find that’s what they’ve got on “Henry Martin.” It’s largely the performance of Noël that wins me over here – she’s mesmerizing – but once again, there’s no way you couldn’t notice or appreciate the cultural craftsmanship that Floyds Row displays playing together.
Like, I’d be the first to tell you my relatable experience is completely basic at best when it comes to music like this. Short of riding something like the Pirates Of The Caribbean ride at Disneyland, or catching the occasional Folk-based band that has a cultural edge to their sound, or hearing something like this support visuals onscreen in a movie, I just don’t get a whole lot of exposure to the kind of music that Floyds Row is creating. Which honestly, is another avenue in for myself personally, because I am endlessly curious about what people listen to, and the people behind the music as well. If I was a betting kind of person, I’m sure I’d put my money on the members of Floyds Row all having some sort of a background in theatre or plays in the history of their own education & evolution as artists. I’d be way more surprised if there wasn’t, because it SOUNDS like they have that kind of experience when you listen to a song like “Jackaroe.” They’ve got the know-how when it comes to performance – truly, the inherent professionalism in this band straight across the board is, to me, perhaps their most standout element. Noël leads them to victory on this tale as well, but huge bonus points go out to the remarkable percussion from George Lernis, and to George Lykogiannis who has been the backbone of this entire lineup of songs with his accordion. Pass or fail or whatever anybody might think about what they hear in these songs or how they might personally connect to them, I think we all have to universally applaud the commitment of Floyds Row & how they are so adept at bringing you right into their world of sound. “Jackaroe” is an interesting name to say the least – I’ve never met one personally, but I’m sure there’s gotta be a couple out there in this world I guess. Anyhow. If you dig your sea shanties & cultural tunes, a track like “Jackaroe” should have plenty in there for ya, and a compelling story to go along with it too.
Having grown up with an intense appreciation for instrumental music of all kinds, Floyds Row was arguably most appealing to me on a personal level throughout “Maiden Lane / Kettle Drum” – there was a bit more for me here than in most of the songs on The Carlisle Sessions. Everything felt like it stood out for all the right reasons when it came to the musicianship & such, but like I’ve been saying the entire way through this review, their exceptionally gifted talents aren’t holding them back whatsoever. It’s just the endless uphill battle that exists when you’re making music outside of the mainstream, that’s the only thing in their way, and I’m sure we all know many musicians that have defied the odds and carved themselves out successful careers despite any obstacles. So again, don’t get me wrong – this band can absolutely play, and if what they’re playing is appealing to you, you know I’m always going to be the first person to tell you to turn it up LOUD & PROUD, and enjoy your time listening. On “Maiden Lane / Kettle drum” there is some brilliant stuff happening that needs to be acknowledged though – like Asako Takeuchi’s violin on the way in for instance…that immediately has an impact and gets every listener paying close attention to whatever might come next. Hearing how seamlessly it merges with the multiple instruments that Chris Ferebee (cittern, guitar, mandolin) and Andrew Arceci (viola da gamba, upright bass) adds to it as the song transitions, is nothing short of remarkable as well. Then of course, we can’t forget our buddy George, who puts on an audible clinic on HOW TO GET IT DONE with his stunning percussion solo for more than a minute’s worth of time on this song – I genuinely like so much of this song, the talent on display is absolutely jaw-dropping from top to bottom, but I’d be lying to you by omission if I didn’t mention that what Lernis does in this cut might just steal the whole darn show. At the very least it’s the highlight moment of “Maiden Lane / Kettle Drum,” but I’m feeling like there is a really solid argument to be made on behalf of it being the ultimate highlight at the heart of The Carlisle Sessions. Percussion solos are a tough thing to pull off right – you can easily lose the whole room of non-musicians instantly, but they’re fantastic when they go as well as this one does – Lernis is riveting.
Ayyyyyyyyy! A song about Robin Hood! Even I should be able to find my way into a song about Robin Hood, right? I tell ya…you’d sure think so. Listen Floyds Row – I want to be as crystal clear as possible – you’re masters of your craft and I absolutely appreciate the contributions you make to music, culture, and art, full stop. Is it ever going to be my thing? Probably not, but that’s okay – the good news is, I’m just one person, and there are so many more people on this planet than any single one of us, last I counted. As “The Song Of Robin Hood & His Huntes-Men” finished things off, I felt like I was hearing an amazing array of individual talents combined once again…the guitar from Chris right at the start, the bold bass tones from Andrew, the mesmerizing violin from Asako, the warmth of George’s accordion, the insatiably cool rhythm of George’s production, and the spellbinding sound of Emily up front on the mic. All I could really think was, why don’t I love this more than I do? When the musicianship is as truly faultless as this is, and the production & performance are all as professional as it gets, what gives? Why can’t I find that as appealing as it should be? They’re tellin’ authentic stories in their music, and I should love that too! Then I kind of had to smile, because personal taste just is what it is and there’s no real way around that, no matter how good any artist or band might be. I don’t believe that they could have done anything better than they have here on this record, and that’s the truth. All you can ever do is put everything you’ve got into all that you do, and Floyds Row clearly does that, time after time, track after track, right to the very end on “The Song Of Robin Hood & His Huntes-Men” on The Carlisle Sessions. Stylistically, it might not be for me, but that doesn’t mean it might not be for YOU – if you like music made with real dedication & craftsmanship, Floyds Row definitely deserves a spin or two. With every listen, the help the music scene and audience of listeners evolve on a culture level, while at the same time providing an atmosphere that connects them with history & the past as well. There’s tremendous value in possessing such artistry – anyone that listens to The Carlisle Sessions will truly be better for it.
The Carlisle Sessions comes out officially this August 21st – until then, find out more about Floyds Row from their official website at: https://floydsrow.com
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