The Floating Life
Written by: Leadfinger
Released out of Spain on the Bang! Records Label, “the floating life” is a unique album from the truly independent and humble underground legend of the Australian music scene, Stewy ’Leadfinger’ Cunningham.
Over the last 20 years Leadfinger has done his time in and written many awesome songs for great Australian rock and power-pop bands like Brother Brick, Asteroid B-612, The Proton Energy Pills, The Yes-Men and Challenger-7 but with “the floating life” he set out to do something totally different – all by himself – writing, playing, engineering, recording, producing and mixing ’the floating life” from start to finish by himself at his own dodgy home studio under the home he rents in the northern Illawarra town of Helensburgh. The result is an album that is definitely unlike anything else you are likely to hear this year, bluesy and dark and at times electric with high energy and powerful riffs, it veers into the melodic territory of power-pop but with a noisier, harder edge…still with lots of guitars and great songs but with a fresh take on Aussie underground rock’n’roll.
“the floating life” sits on the brilliant side of lo-fi and has been described as equal parts Westerberg, Chilton, Kuepper and Hitchcock with Fred ’Sonic’ Smith along for the ride on lead guitar!!!!! Stand out tracks are the driving mayhem of “Edge of Suburbia”, the 4/4 rockin fun of “Thin Lizzy’ (think of The Replacements – Alex Chilton but this one is for Phil Lynott) and the stark acoustic power of “a floating life” – a song inspired by the work of Australian underground poet, John Forbes. “the floating life” has plenty of great songs with its main themes revolving around the highs and lows of life as a rock’n’roller on the margins of the music world, it is sure to surprise and endear itself to the discerning listener, so take the punt and check it out. Vinyl lovers will be happy as the 12” gatefold also comes with an extra track not on the CD.
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Reviews
“For those used to the bludgeoning riffs that were characteristic of Leadfinger (in Brother Brick & Asteroid B-612) or
the solo fragments of power pop from Challenger 7…they may be surprised by this album as I myself was pleasantly surprised. The Floating Life is an album sincerely inspired & pulls back the veil revealing the ‘intimate’ side of the best Australian songwriter of the past 10 years.”
– Roberto Calabro, i-94 Bar August 2007.
“…The title track is a case in point — the mature reflections of a once-young-and-innocent musician who finally realised the difference between dreams and reality. I Went Looking nods toward Neil Young’s Heart of Gold in its quest to find enlightenment, while Edge of Suburbia walks the line between denigration and celebration of suburban existence. And in The Philadelphia Ruse, Cunningham’s succinct narrative of the end of his tenure in Asteroid B-612, catharsis triumphs over bitterness. It’s a balance that permeates the entire set, and ensures the album’ s overall success.”
– Patrick Emery – Mess & Noise, September 2007.
” “The Floating Life” will demand close attention. It swerves off the beaten track in its moments of delicacy (“The Music Had The Last Say”) and introspection. Never forced (“So In a Hurry”) it sometimes veers into full-band raunch (“Thin Lizzy”) but that isn’t the character of the whole. Open your ears and prepare for an interesting ride.”
– The Barman, i-94 Bar August 2007.
“It shouldn’t be necessary in this magazine, but we will do a presentation again. Leadfinger, a.k.a. Stewart Cunningham, raised among his buddies in Aussie-Detroit rock: It’s easy to say but check this. He’s gone thru such emblematic bands
as Brother Brick – whose complete discography can be found in the recent double CD from Off The Hip “stranded in the nineties”, Asteroid B-612 and The Yes Men. Without any doubt, in his sound he is as important as Charlie Owen could be in his. An expert “riffmaker” who vanishes this face in “the floating life”, his first solo album.”
– Jaime Gonzalez, Ruta 66 September 2007.
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Credits
Personnel
Stewart Cunningham: All Instruments and Vocals
Recording
Recorded, Mixed and Produced at The Rendezvous Studio by Stewart Cunningham