Search - Floating Opera :: Pony Up A Go-Go

Pony Up A Go-Go is the latest CD from the music collective Floating Opera. Critics have been better at describing our music than we have, so below are a few quotes from previous records. This new album has more pop hooks and has more electric guitar than previous releases, but is still described well by these quotes. Some musicians we kind-of sound like are: Metric, The Decemberists, Arcade Fire, Belle and Sebastian, Ra Ra Riot, The Most Serene Republic, Rilo Kiley, Rufus Wainwright, Pernice Brothers. Our influences are ( Imperial Bedroom - era) Elvis Costello, Ben Folds, (mid-seventies) Brian Eno, Brian Wilson and Burt Bacharach. Some Quotes from Reviews: The Musician s Homepage, by Steven Schrader: ...a tapestry of sounds woven from any variety of piano, percussion, electric and acoustic bass, electric and acoustic guitar, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, violin, and cello... Floating Opera falls into that oft-elusive category known as "smart pop". You have the catchy hooks and grand choruses you'd expect of a pop song, but you don't have to check your brain at the door while listening. There's a level of sophistication to the songwriting that makes it a pleasure to pick out the strands that make up each piece of music. It's not surprising that the list of artists contributing to this project reads like a who's who of Midwestern indie rock - this is a top notch CD and one worth giving a listen. The Daily Vault, by Sean McCarthy: The album will likely contain the most lush and musically gorgeous textures you will hear this year... the percussion and crunching guitar work usually produce enough of a thunder to rattle your speakers. the band's ability to effortlessly fuse different styles together without sounding like a novelty... the pop melodies are as irresistible and catchy as some of the poppiest tracks on radio. Aiding and Abetting, by Jon Worley: It's also exceptionally complex and enthralling. They manages to whip up a glorious order from the mess of voices and instruments that populate each song. Floating Opera creates music that is impossible to forget. I've been listening to these folks since 1997, and every person I've turned on to the band has fallen in love. Smother.net, by J-Sin: (Editor s Pick): What`s impressive is that the twelve tracks that can really brag about complex song arrangements, wonderful melodies that soar in and out of range, and a knack for just offshoot catchiness. The vocals alone could easily make this a favorite but it doesn`t end there, instead excelling in production, engineering, and arrangements... Amazing. All Music Guide (allmusic.com), by Jason Birchmeier: genius songwriting, this album should impress anyone looking for sophisticated pop music with a near orchestral sense of instrumentation. Cultophile Rock Review, by Kevin McCollough: The music is some of the best written, arranged, and performed I have heard, and it is really very beautiful. Keyboard Magazine, by Titus Levi: ...the vocals, sometimes direct and unadorned, and other times wailing and warbly, waft over detailed timbral backdrops. Lincoln Journal -Star, by L. Kent Wolgamott: The Floating Opera has produced two of the best recordings to come out of Lincoln in the '90s...a brilliant collection of lush, carefully arranged, superbly played inviting...the music is deeply woven, creating a variety of setting from driving, rock-based sounds to drifting folk-tinged pop... the lyrics add a spooky, unsettling element as they spin their dark, literate stories. Omaha Reader, by Kelly Powell: ...brilliant release...a somber joyride of intricate melodies and ideas beautifully put together.