Luke Bernard Eaton is an indie folk musician hailing from Brisbane, Australia. After years of playing guitar, writing songs and performing in rock bands, he’s put out his debut, Notes From A Floating World, an eleven-track affair that revolves around “the transient thoughts, feelings and dreams that come and go” throughout his life here on Earth. Eaton currently works for the Australian government’s department of foreign affairs and trade.
Notes From A Floating World was recorded between March and August 2022 at Alchemix Recording Studios. Co-production, engineering and mastering was handled by Marly Luske. While Eaton doesn’t want to give away all of his studio secrets, he does let us in on the fact that much of the album “involved liberal use of an Echoplex tape-delay unit.” Additional bits of audio, such as home and field recording ambience, are also included to supplement its whole nature motif. Really, not much on this album makes one track discernible from the other. Most tracks follow a breezy yet simplistic formula of acoustic strumming, soft electronic kit percussion, and sometimes, silky electric riffs. This particular record begins with a dreamy D major tune, “Midnight Ink.” “And if you wanna see the rain,” Eaton sings, “Close your eyes and / Wash your memory down the drain.” I thought that these were some standout lyrics. His stream-of-consciousness style flows well with the minimal instrumentation. “Deep West” continues down that lane, echoing Tom Petty’s brand of folk music. However, this leads into the most beautiful song on the album, “Grand Final Day.” Boasting a nostalgic M83-esque synth tone in the background, this particular highlight sounds like the album cover looks-- saturated and washed out with color. Follow-up song, “On Moonwood Mountain,” makes for a decent runner-up to “Grand Final Day.” This one begins with a near minute of birds chirping and white noise. Once those sounds evaporate, it’s two more minutes of soft acoustic ambience. “Wanderlust” (with an umlaut over the u) rinses and repeats the formula of acoustic-meets-ambient sound. It’s fine enough as it is, but I get the feeling that Eaton could have done more with this. Meanwhile, “Nighthawks On The Threshold” has the longest runtime out of any of these eleven tracks and features electronically produced noises scattered throughout along with some very odd and unique percussion. I’m not quite sure how Eaton and Luske got that sound, but it sounds cool! “The Black Swan Hotel” throws in a well-placed reference to Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven.” It’s anyone’s guess as to why this number is titled the way it is. “...And The Horizon After All” sways in the breeze with a bluesy traditional guitar riff. For some reason, this riff in particular reminds me of some of Oasis’s early acoustic stuff that Noel Gallagher would play. It branches out to include an easygoing electric guitar solo as well. Last but not least, closer “Sunny’s Dream” appears to be written about a girl, possibly a lost love of Eaton’s, named Julia. It's a solid song but I was expecting a little bit more with this one as well, to be honest. Luke Bernard Eaton’s voice sounds comfortable and lulling. As a whole, Notes From A Floating World flows as smoothly as a river. However, much like certain rivers out there, it has a tendency to meander at times. That said, if you’re a fan of indie folk music that also sounds spacious and dreamy, then this album is for you. Recommended.
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