Customer Reviews

Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you like Grandaddy, Radiohead, Arcade Fire, Flaming Lips or Neutral Milk Hotel you will like Flotation Toy Warning's debut album. This album is a real masterpiece of post-modern rock. Not to dis Amazon, but you can get the album straight from the label (Misra Records, do a Google search) for less money, and they have free shipping too.

I really love records which bring thousands of images into one's mind, images taken from films that have never been made, the ones in MY MIND, whose soundtrack is provided by records like this.
To create "Bluffer's Guide to the Flight Deck", Flotation Toy Warning armed with organs, keyboards, synth sounds, soothing guitar arpeggios, hoarse voices, angelic backing vocals, orchestrations. And time. That's it: time. 10 tracks, 70 minutes. Do the math to find out how long each track is. A little Mercury Rev here, a little Flaming Lips there, mainly in balancing sweet tunes with epic crescendoes .
Maybe the only problem here is the voice, weak at times, not suiting the music exuberance. Or... sounding too feeble, which you might say kinda DOES suit the music, giving it extra drama or frailty. Up to you. Such nasty thing to say, innit? Ignore that.
The highlights of this pearls' parade are "Happy 13", "Popstar Researching Oblivion" (what a title!!!) and "Donald Pleasance".
One of the most beautiful records 2005 has seen.
(...)
(...)
english and extra touches by gimu

A stunning slab of chamber psych-pop, this has got to be the most underrated record of '05. Vicky West gives new meaning to the credit of "Keyboards" and the production technique creates an extraordinary lo-fi paradise. Colin Coaxall's steady drumming steers the woozy ship and Paul Carter (singer, songwriter), well, he has the tapes, he has the plans of a Clockwork Man (your guess is as good as mine).

Give it up for Misra Records, who released an additional indie-fantasy masterpiece in 2005: Phosphorescent's Aw Come Aw Wry. More evidence that the best music is not only underground, it is at the core. Keep digging.

Browsing Listmanias via Elf Power and came upon Tony Neal's recommendation for this cd. Gave it a shot since I agreed with a number of his other picks.

Incredible!!!! Reminds me a bit (quite a bit, actually) of Midlake (Bamnan and Silvercork, Milkmaid Grand Army). It's a keeper.

Innovative, moving, moody-broody, clean vocals, swirling instruments....

Hope there's more coming from this band.

I bought this album based on one song, "Even Fantastica". I really liked the way the song shifted from different styles but never became just noise like alot of other "experimental" music. People talk about listening to Sigur Ros like it is listening to an angelic chorus, but that is what this music is to me. I can put it on and be taken to a completely different world where I dont need my shiny objects. Definitly one of my favorites of 2005.

I did not buy any CD for a long time but this one I had to buy because it is really fantastic, I am listening to it for weeks now.
I do hope Flotation Toy Warning will continue make music like this CD and a new CD I will buy instantly.

Actually, I would rate this CD at about a 3.5, but didn't want to drop the rating down to a 3 in the Åmazon rating. The rating would have been a 5, IF it wasn't for the stupid way it was recorded. Some of the songs are quite lovely and atmospheric, but the songs don't break in the traditional way. The breaks often come right in the middle of a track, right in the middle of a vocal. The tune continues on the next track - very distracting.

It's much worse if you want to put the mp3's on a portable device. For some reason, even when the tracks are properly numbered in their tags, the tracks simply won't play in sequence. I've tried manually numbering the filenames to force them to play in sequence, with no success. So, you're listening to this great bit of music when, not only does the track "break" inappropriately and for seemingly no reason, but you're thrust into the midst of a totally different song.

I don't know whose idea it was to record this CD in this manner, but he/she/they should be severely throttled. If it was intended as some copy protection scheme, then it's completely lame. I wouldn't want to download a CD recorded this way for free let alone pay for it. It seems that the only way you can fully enjoy the experience of Bluffers Guide is on the actual CD. It's a pity.

the reviews really had me going, but it's just a good marketing campaign, if you ask me.

I had totally forgotten I got this cd, because I got RID of it just as immediately. It wasn't even worth the effort for me to resell it, I just handed it over to a coworker in case they might like it.

I know I know, I'm not really saying anything constructive, but shoot, it's not memorable enough.

FLUFF!