''Floating Coffin'' is a studio album by the American
garage rock
Garage rock (sometimes called garage punk or 60s punk) is a raw and energetic style of rock and roll that flourished in the mid-1960s, most notably in the United States and Canada, and has experienced a series of subsequent revivals. The sty ...
band
Thee Oh Sees
Osees are an American rock band formed in San Francisco, California in 1997, now based in Los Angeles, California. The band currently consists of primary songwriter and core member John Dwyer (vocals, guitar), Tim Hellman (bass), Dan Rincon (d ...
, released on April 16, 2013, on Castle Face Records. The album is the band's eighth to be released under the name Thee Oh Sees, and their fourteenth studio album overall.
It is the last studio album to feature bassist Petey Dammit! and drummer Mike Shoun.
Background
Frontman
John Dwyer John Dwyer may refer to:
* John Dwyer (Australian judge) (1879–1966), Australian judge
* John Dwyer (baseball) (active 1882), American baseball player
* John Dwyer (field hockey) (born 1928), Australian Olympic hockey player
* John Dwyer (medici ...
described the album as being "heavier" and "darker" than their previous efforts, and that " hesongs occur in the mindset of a world that's perpetually war-ridden".
All members of the band were part of the recording process that took place in December 2012. The album was created as more of a group effort, John Dwyer stated, "Usually I bring in the ongsand everybody sort of forms around hem but this time a lot of this record was written together, as a band, which we haven't done ." Lars Finberg recorded secondary drums and guitar for the album, but due to engagements with The Intelligence in late 2012 and early 2013, he did not tour with the Thee Oh Sees during the period of the album's recording and release. Because of this, the band's live lineup returned to its previous four-piece incarnation. Guest musician K. Dylan Edrich had previously recorded viola for 2012's ''
Putrifiers II
''Putrifiers II'' is the thirteenth studio album by the American garage rock band Thee Oh Sees (and the seventh released under the full Thee Oh Sees name), released on September 11, 2012, on In The Red Records.
Background
John Dwyer's previous b ...
'', and did so again for ''Floating Coffin''. The only other guest musician on the album was Kelley Stoltz who played
harpsichord
A harpsichord ( it, clavicembalo; french: clavecin; german: Cembalo; es, clavecín; pt, cravo; nl, klavecimbel; pl, klawesyn) is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. This activates a row of levers that turn a trigger mechanism ...
.
The album was recorded at The Hangar in Sacramento, CA, with Chris Woodhouse. Woodhouse also played percussion on the album, which he had done on previous releases with the band. This is the first Thee Oh Sees album to also be mastered by Woodhouse. Up until ''Floating Coffin'', he had only recorded and mixed their albums, with the mastering process being handled by a third party.
Promotion
On February 8, the band released the song "Minotaur" for streaming and free download on several music news websites. The band later also released a second track, "Toe Cutter-Thumb Buster" for free. These songs, along with the track "Tunnel Time", had been included in the band's live performances for several months before the announcement of ''Floating Coffin''.
A music video was created for the song "Minotaur", and was directed by John Dwyer and John Harlow. The video features John Dwyer as a
minotaur
In Greek mythology, the Minotaur ( , ;. grc, ; in Latin as ''Minotaurus'' ) is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "pa ...
, Brigid Dawson as a woman the minotaur has trapped in its dungeon, Mike Shoun as a brash knight, and Petey Dammit as a cowardly page. The knight and page travel through the woods, trying to locate the minotaur's lair. Upon reaching the maze of the lair, the minotaur beheads the knight, and the page flees with the knight's sword. Meanwhile, the minotaur dreams about a day at the beach with the woman it captured, where she enjoys its company rather than resenting it for holding her against her will. The page builds up the courage to return to fight the minotaur, and kills it in its sleep. The page frees the woman and they escape from the lair into the daylight.
In an uncharacteristic move, the band released a video for a second song on the album, "Toe Cutter-Thumb Buster". This video was directed by John Strong, who also directed the video for '' Putrifiers II's'' "Lupine Dominus". The video depicts a man dragging a body to his car.
Release
The album's release was announced by the band in January 2013, and was leaked in its entirety in March.
While the band had previously released material through In The Red Records, John Dwyer decided to self-release the album instead, and said, "I learned a lot from Larry ardy, In the Red founder but I know what I want, and I like to control everything, decide who I'm working with." The album was released through Castle Face Records, a record label he co-owns. The band has not self-released an album since ''
The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In
''The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending a Night In'' is the seventh studio album by San Francisco-based rock band Thee Oh Sees. The album was the first to be released under the name "Thee Oh Sees", after the band had previously been known as "OC ...
''.
Two different vinyl pressings were made. A limited edition run of 500 copies of the album were pressed to clear vinyl, with a red "blood" splatter. This run was shipped before the official release of the album. The other was pressed to traditional black vinyl, and began shipping on the day of the album's release.
The limited edition includes a bonus Flexi disc of the traditional song "
There Is a Balm in Gilead
"There Is A Balm in Gilead" is a traditional African American spiritual. The date of composition is unclear, though the song dates at least to the 19th century. A version of the refrain can be found in Washington Glass's 1854 hymn "The Sinner's ...
", arranged by Brigid Dawson. Unlike the rest of the album (as well as much of Thee Oh Sees catalog), the song was not recorded by Chris Woodhouse, but was instead recorded by Matt Jones, co-owner of Castle Face Records, and member of the band Blasted Canyons.
Moon Sick EP
The band's ''Moon Sick'' EP is made up of four songs that were intended for ''Floating Coffin'', but were not ultimately included on the album. The songs included are "Humans Be Swayed", "Sewer Fire", "Grown In A Graveyard", and "Candy Clock". It was released for Record Store Day 2013, with all proceeds going towards
Healthy San Francisco
Healthy San Francisco is a health access program launched in 2007 to subsidize medical care for uninsured residents of San Francisco, California. The program's stated objective is to bring universal health care to the city. Like ''Floating Coffin'', this EP was released on Castle Face Records, with versions on both "bone-white" and black vinyl. The song "Sewer Fire" features vocals from Lars Finberg, a first in the band's history.
Reception
''Floating Coffin'' has received universal acclaim, with a
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
score of 82 out of 100."
Sean Caldwell of No Ripcord praised the album, calling the album "enthusiastic and strange, a perfect good-time balance of the artfully absurd and the sonically robust."Caldwell, Sean Thee Oh Sees: Floating Coffin No Ripcord. 17 April 2013. Retrieved 28 August 2013. '' Pitchfork''s Evan Minsker called ''Floating Coffin'' "another resounding success," writing " r an album stuffed with great melodies, smooth transitions, shredding guitar solos, and stellar percussion work .it's hard to mind when the lyrics take a backseat. That said, although ''Floating Coffin'' does quite well with its searing powerhouses, the quieter moments add a much-needed sonic diversity." Beca Grimm of '' Paste'' also praised the album, writing "''Coffin'' is an easy, spring-appropriate listen. Something about Thee Oh Sees always sighs warm air. This album does that, too, but with hurriedly-spiked punch heavy on its breath." Paula Mejia of '' Consequence of Sound'' wrote that while some of the tracks were unfocused, the album "is a sign that Thee Oh Sees are far from dead, or burning out. They’re not even close."
Allmusic
AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...
John Dwyer John Dwyer may refer to:
* John Dwyer (Australian judge) (1879–1966), Australian judge
* John Dwyer (baseball) (active 1882), American baseball player
* John Dwyer (field hockey) (born 1928), Australian Olympic hockey player
* John Dwyer (medici ...
- Vocals, guitar, photographer
* Mike Shoun - Drums, guitar
Additional personnel
* Lars Finberg - second drum kit, additional guitar
* Matt Brinkman - Drawing
* Dylan Edrich - Viola
* Matt Jones - Layout
* Kelley Stoltz - Harpsichord
*
Chris Woodhouse
Chris Woodhouse is an American recording engineer, record producer and multi-instrumentalist. He is best known for his work with the San Francisco-based garage rock acts, Thee Oh Sees, Ty Segall, The Intelligence, Sic Alps and Fuzz.
Alongside ...