Second Stage: The House Floor

by Meg Ruddick

Download "Tyrants!" by The House Floor (Right-click or control-click to save to your computer)

There's a lot going on in The House Floor's music. The band's epic album, Warship, was recorded in Virginia in the spring of 2009. With just 10 songs, the album clocks in at over an hour, with most songs averaging a good six and a half minutes long. Lead singer and guitarist Alex Tschan's voice is reminiscent of Conor Oberst, and the breathy, quavering vocals make for an almost spoken-word, poetry reading feel. His imaginative lyrics stand out above the music, and make you wonder just what the heck he's talking about. Sharp guitars and an incredible rhythm section (Ryan Lee on bass and Peter Chudzik on drums) give the music its bite and make it really fun. The songs themselves move and shift constantly and remind me more of compositions than standard rock songs. "Tyrants!" seamlessly blends about three or four songs into one, transitioning at one point with a really fantastic freak-out about midway through.

The band's album is available for download on its Web site.

Subscribe to the Second Stage podcast to automatically download each song to your computer.

Submit your music for possible inclusion in Second Stage or All Songs Considered.

10:52 AM ET | 11-10-2009 | permalink

comments |