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Anathallo Floating World
Nettwerk Records
The “Floating World” is a Japanese concept, focusing on the red light district of 17th century Japan; Anathallo presumably knew this when they chose this record’s title, but Floating World’s dry, meandering soundscapes have nothing on geisha or samurai. Instead Anathallo come off as that one weird kid in art class who feels the need to throw in words like “yaoi” whenever possible and only ate pocky. But musically, the sound is pure Michigan: after all, much has been made of Anathallo’s resemblance to the golden boy of The Great Lakes State – Sufjan himself.
Track listing:
01 Ame Listen Listen
02 Gennesarat (going out over 30,000 fathoms of water)
03 Hoodwink
04 By Number
05 Dokkoise House (with face covered)
06 Hanasakajijii (four: a great wind, more ash)
07 Hanasakajijii (one: an angry neighbor)
08 Inu (howling)
09 Hanasakajijii (two: floating world)
10 The Bruised Reed
11 Yuki! Yuki! Yuki!
12 Hanasakajijii (three: the man who made dead trees bloom)
13 Cuckoo Spitting Blood Listen Listen
14 Kasa no Hone
After all, both boy and band relish over-ambitious concepts, use ridiculous instruments (chains, Velcro strips, and stomp boxes from this group), and both Sufjan and lead singer Andrew Dost have a delicate, almost quivering coo of a voice. But the similarities end there, because the Illinoise man knew how to deliver a pitch-perfect pop song, which is not (as Anathallo clearly believes) any kind of sin. Music in Sufjan’s hands is redemptive, beautiful, and moving, but reduced to atonal post-rock like Floating World, it loses all its majesty. Dost and crew may throw in as many foreign words, extended song suites, and hideously long titles as they’d like, it still won’t hide the painful, turgid tedium of this album.
