Seth Kauffman has been releasing Floating Action albums lately as if the world is ending…
Oh wait, it might be ending.
This newest Floating Action album ”Outsider Art” is Seth’s 11th album in the last 14 years, and the 4th release on Almost Halloween Time Records in the last 4 years. That’s over 130 original songs. Floating Action’s catalog is truly outsider art, as the music industry has largely shunned everything Floating Action. But it’s these records, thankfully, that have found their way to more successful artists like Dan Auerbach, Jack Johnson, Jim James, Dr. Dog and countless more – who have freaked out, become fans, and kept Kauffman afloat by having him play on their records & tour with them (which consequently makes it possible for Floating Action albums to keep getting made.)
It’s a bassackwards (truly outsider) route for sure, but we’ll take it. Kauffman hadn’t planned on creating another Floating Action record any time soon, after 2019’s ‘Old World Camels’. But last October, he was suddenly hit with a giant cluster of new ideas, and began recording them. ”They were so bursting with freshness, and super original…and they just all came to me at once, I just had to get them down fast. I had just gotten this weird delay pedal that uses real cassette tape, and this really cheap Amazon house brand (SET5) amplifier – which served as that ‘perfect piece of new gear to get your juices flowing”.
In classic Floating Action form, there are catchy-but-deep-cut funky jamaican/afro grooves on ”Outsider Art”, airtight arrangements, highly melodic throughout, heavy philosphy hidden in code in the lyrics, extremely original and not really very like anything else. Also unique to ”Outsider Art”, is a constant thread of positivity in the lyrics, as well as an underlying theme of ancient Chinese wisdom and its connection to trees.
The album is available for preorder in a limited edition of 50 copies with unique hand painted covers. Water color paintings done by yours truly.
