Floating Opera
"Burning Lighthouse" CD
Spectral
Operator Records
Genres: soft rock, adult alternative, pop
Dec 1 - 7 2003 |
Floating
Opera, which shares its name with a 1957 John Barth novel,
is a Lincoln, Nebraska based pop / soft rock band led predominately by
singer Lori Allison. Though the songwriting is handled
exclusively by Charles Lieurance and Richard Rebarber,
the band's line-up seems to vary significantly for each song.
"Ocean," for example, features the talent of only three
musicians, whereas the title track of this album, "Burning
Lighthouse," boasts an eight-person psuedo-orchestra.
The Floating Opera repertoire is a laidback, blissful breed
of soap opera melodrama and basic pop sensibility. The results
are pleasant although limited in appeal. The twinkly, pretty approach the band takes is often overtly fluffy, and the
target audience is most likely going to be of an older generation as a
result. This isn't a problem; it's clear that the band is making
no attempt to be ultra-hip or stylish - they are simply playing what
they want to play.
As far as mainstream-styled pop goes, this is pretty decent
stuff. Songs like "Ocean" and "Arbus" are
pleasant and melodic enough to reel in a good audience, and if you dig
a bit soft rock and "adult alternative" music now and then, Burning
Lighthouse may be a good album to invest in. If you aren't
sure, check out some of their songs here.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 12 tracks, distributed by Jarmusic, released 2003] |