Vinyl Floor Releases A Full Album
If you are not yet familiar with the sounds of Vinyl Floor, then let us be among the first to introduce you as the band recently released a full length album that dabbles in everything from contemporary to pop rock and so much more in between, utilizing all kinds of natural and beautifully performed instrumentation that leads to a sound that feels warm and somewhat welcoming, in a sense.
The Balancing Act album certainly aims for thick laid hooks and choruses that float around in your head for hours after the songs have ended, and they do so with this familiar feel. A lot about this record feels almost like you've heard the songs somewhere before.
Part of this is because they're so catchy.
Some of this record comes through with a cinematic punch as well, as there are stringed instruments and more that give things an almost rustic feel. One of my top picks from this record is a song called "Back of My Hand", which features piano, strings, and more.
The full album is actually packed with all different kinds of instrumentation, again mostly being natural, so when songs like this come together, it brings out a great emotion because all of that natural and deep-toned instrumentation has a unique way of sounding.
There is a lot about the record that puts you there in the moment with the songs themselves, and this was incredibly refreshing.
Other songs give you more of a pop-rock feel and vibe. Early in the record, there's a song called "I'm On The Upside", and this one has a bit more distortion, rock backbone, faster pace, and almost a colorful approach in terms of its tones.
By the time you get halfway through the record, you begin to expect a bit of the unexpected, as a lot of these songs can differ from each other, but a lot of it is also very cohesive at the same time.
They focus a lot of the songwriting on melody and rock, but also aren't really afraid to bring in their other influences, like singer-songwriter, folk, Americana, or contemporary.
As you go through the record, you get bits of all of these styles.
The performances and writing on the guitar throughout this record are stellar. The guitar element of this album changes from song to song, and each time you get a different approach. With each song, the guitar work is something that really drives the songs, whether it's rhythmically or melodically.
There's also quite an addictive energy level throughout this album that feels almost like certain parts of the record were recorded live on the floor, and everyone involved was feeding off of each other's energies the entire time.
Of course, I wasn't present when they recorded the album, so I'm not sure how they did it exactly. I can tell you that listening to the record makes you want to go see them perform this entire thing live.
If they can capture this kind of aesthetic and tone, energy, and mood so well on record, then seeing it standing.
All in all, this is a melodic rock sort of record with songs and approaches that go outside the box. They have a certain way of thinking when it comes to the songwriting style that lets the album breathe in different ways.
Some songs, like "Less Dystopian Book", lean more towards a 90s rock type of style. The guitars have a great edginess to them that's not over the top, but just reminds me of radio rock from that decade.
The singer always has a great attitude. The vocals are usually pretty robust and, at times, have amazing harmonies that add a great top layer to the already full-bodied instrumentation.
This was a very addictive album, and it most certainly touched on the fact that the band themselves play on each member's influences, and in doing so, they made a record that has a particular flow to it.
You can hear all of these different influences throughout the records unfolding, and it is an excellent album to take in.
The record spans 13 tracks and is just over 45 minutes in length, making it perfectly digestible for any rock fan.
I'll say once more that this release does encompass a lot of different genres, most of which sit firmly under the rock umbrella; some of them do take different directions.
Either way, there's plenty of enticing hooks and memorable choruses throughout these songs.
In my opinion, this is definitely a record that breaks some boundaries while still staying familiar, not reinventing the wheel, but putting their own spin on things.
It's not a record you want to miss.
After listening to the full album, we decided to conduct an interview with the band, which you can read below.
Dive into this one now so you can see exactly where we're coming from.
Let's talk about Balancing Act! This was colorful but had that pop-rock edginess! Catchy and driving record all around! Where did this album come from?
Thomas: I’m not sure. I mean, it’s hard to say what kind of well the ideas are drawn from. But I do know that we do our best to surround ourselves with the right tools to try and get the creative juices flowing. We listen, we play, we write, we re-write and try to make each other’s ideas better. We immerse ourselves in music most of the time. And suddenly we have enough songs to fill a record. We always start out by creating demos of each new song and then we pick the best ones for the album. What I also do know is that ‘Balancing Act’ was born out of necessity. All our music is, really, but this one perhaps especially so. The band currently exists of just my brother Daniel and I so there’s probably been an unspoken need to want to prove ourselves a bit more, you know, making sure that we keep on evolving and that we record the songs to the best of our ability. We pay a lot of attention to detail.
These songs have been thoroughly worked on for quite some time and I hope it comes through. I'm hearing a few different approaches to this record! Who are some of your biggest musical influences?
There’s probably a distinct British vein to our sound, if you like. At least, that’s what we’re told. There’s a saying in the band that our favorite solo artists are American but our favorite groups are British. I mean, we love the songwriting of Dylan, Cohen and Tom Waits and likewise the songwriting, dynamics and creativity of bands like the Beatles, The Kinks and early Genesis. We listen to a lot of music from the 60’s and 70’s so that’s definitely a huge inspiration but we try to incorporate some electronic elements here and there and we want the production to be modern.
Whatever that is. Did you record this at a home setup, or at a big studio?
Both, actually. We began the process by doing the basic tracks live at a great Swedish studio in Malmö called Studio Möllan. We love to work with Emil Isaksson there. Then we took it back home and did all the vocals and overdubs at our own space in Copenhagen. Finally, it was mixed by Søren Vestergaard who has a great ear for everything music.
Do you guys write songs together, or is there one main songwriter that takes ideas back to the rest?
We both write for Vinyl Floor but rarely together. We mostly finish off the songs ourselves before we present it to the other. It happens, though, that one of us writes a tune which isn’t finished until the other adds an additional part which completes it. A few songs on ‘Balancing Act’ were started by me but finished by Daniel. However, most songs were written by one of us before we even recorded demos. But everything from arranging to sequencing – we do that together.
How did this all start for you as a band?
We are brothers and have played music since forever. I believe Daniel was 15 when he joined the band. We have had several changes in the personnel and it wasn’t until around 2007 that we began discussing trying to make an album. And here we are now, six albums in. As long as the songs keep coming I don’t see that stopping anytime soon. Are you performing live right now? Not really. Playing live is the biggest challenge, as we speak, because our arrangements are sometimes quite demanding and we’re only the two of us. We can only do so much with four hands. We’ve been blessed with recording music with some lovely and talented people but we haven´t really assembled a live-unit as such. Daniel and I have previously played some acoustic shows and may continue to do so in the foreseeable future.
Now that this is out soon, what's next for you?
We run our own label so we’re currently doing some press and different kinds of promotion to try and build as much anticipation as possible. We’ve secured fine promotion and distribution deals. We’re proud of this new album and the first half of the new year will be dedicated to all things ‘Balancing Act’. We have a release party coming up in Copenhagen on the day of release which we’re excited about. And we’re looking into ways of playing live so we might do something on that front.
Who's in your headphones right now?
Nothing. Silence. After recording and mixing is done and I’ve used my headphones intensively, I need to listen to music with a distance. But I do listen all the time. On my turntable right now is the new live album by Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds. It’s terrific!
What would you tell people they can expect from this release?
Something that sounds like Vinyl Floor but with a twist. Some of the approaches are a bit different this time. It’s full of melody, hooks and harmonies. It’s also quite diverse so you may or may not like the full album. But I’d be very surprised if you couldn’t find at least something to like.Upon completion, I felt that this might be our most mellow album. Then someone close to us said that he felt it was our most rocking effort so far (!). So let’s just say I’m very excited about how it will be perceived! Before we go, what would you like to express to fans of the music? Gratitude. If we manage to share the joy of making music with others. If we’re able to touch somebody with music. If we can make other people happy….then we couldn’t ask for more, really.
Balancing Act - Album by Vinyl Floor | Spotify
