An expanded and revamped version of a similarly titled self-released CD from 2002, What the Buzzing shows the Cleveland quintet coming up with the type of solid if often unadventurous head-nodding psych-drone-zoneouts that satisfy those inclined to such sounds without the songs being distinct on their own. It's not that Floorian are bad -- far from it. It's just that what was once distinct and strange is now so established in its own right as a subcultural force that its newer practitioners need to really do something memorable to stand out. It might be a bit unfair to focus in on song titles as an example, but the likes of "Aether Spill" and "Heavium" bespeak less making one's own mark than working comfortably with established tropes (an impression more positively bolstered by thank yous given to noted underground psychedelic beacons as Ptolemaic Terrascope's Phil McMullen and Eclipse Records' Ed Hardy). All this said, if there's a need to reach for something suitably laden with slow, doomy threat, half-whispered vocals, and lots of acid guitar freakout shimmer, sometimes backward-masked, but old standbys aren't doing the trick, one could do a lot worse than What the Buzzing. Its best moments are those where the band tries something different from the template it quickly establishes -- thus the acoustic guitar fading into swirls of low, almost Main-like feedback on "Aether Spill" itself or the haunting, wordless keen that starts "Overruled." Generally speaking, the longer the song the more the band's efforts stand out, which suggests that they might well be one powerful live act, but the briefer "Waiting for It" actually comes across as an exultant, uplifting version of their style that could be the album's secret standout. One gets the feeling that Floorian could yet turn into something really striking, but until that time, this is promising rather than fully achieved.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo