‘People Just Float’ by Steel & Violet is a largely acoustic guitar driven track, and all we can say that you are in for a surprise, from the very first track to the very last one on the album.
Orphan’s Lament
Pulling you into a soundscape you would have least expected, ‘Orphan’s Lament’ has a classic French folk song sound. To this sound has been added vocals that complement it beautifully, with its deep baritones which feature beautiful emotiveness. It is quite opera-like in the sound that it has embodied, giving it both a vintage as well contemporariness in the way that the instruments have been layered.
Ring of Fire
‘Ring of Fire’ enchants you with its soulful, warm finger-picking guitar patterns. This song has a very folk-song-like sound to it. The instrumentation plus the vocals make you think of someone old, someone wise singing this song to a group of children. Despite the stripped down, acoustic style it takes, the song is quite energetic in its delivery, and is sure to catch and hold your attention.
Man in the Long Black Coat
With a sombre soundscape holding ground, ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’ will wrap you its strangely dark yet comforting tunes. The instrumentation in this one is also acoustic guitar driven, and much of the emphasis is laid on the vocal delivery. The has biblical references as well as realistic real-world references. The guitar strumming gains intensity when the vocals gain intensity, bringing in some shift to the musicality.
Silver
Surprising you with dual vocals, ‘Silver’ brings about an ethereal, otherworldly nature to the album. The guitars in the song are very interestingly used, and they don’t abide by the rules and create a disorienting sound that you don’t see coming. This instrumentation choice also reflects the thematic ground in the song, which circles around sorrow and grief. This song very much acts as a moment of shift in the album.
Lake of Fire
Upbeat in comparison to the previous tracks, ‘Lake of Fire’ makes use of a fast paced combination of finger-picking and strumming of the acoustic guitar. The guitars in this song are a whole voice in themselves, contributing to the narrative and pulling the listeners towards a mode of introspection.Towards the end of the song a third layer of the guitars come in, creating a lush outro to the song.
In Heaven
The last track of the album, ‘In Heaven’ acts as one, as it offers a resolution to the conflicts that we come across the previous tracks. The song opens with female vocals that simply feel transcending, owing to the dreamy, feather-like qualities of the vocals. This one is the shortest song in the album, and takes on a complete tonal shift as it strays from the broody, contemplative tones of the previous tracks.
‘People Just Float’ will have you enchanted with its beautifully crafted guitar melodies, and of course, the pleasantly surprising vocals. You should save this album as soon as possible.