When the new floating points album was suggested for February there was an expected 50/50 split on knowing who or what Floating Points is or were. Floating Points is a guy from east London via Manchester that is known by friends and family as Sam Shepherd. For those more inclined to a 4/4 beat he’s been around for a while and often is thrown in the same barrel of genre as Caribou and four tet. Partially for his friendship to them both but also for their ability to throw out many of the established boundaries of dance music and push on their own agenda of all things music.

I’ve read a few reviews on this album, and although the reviewers have rated it, not one has pinpointed what they liked. There are the more accessible tracks such as “Silhouettes” but the album is much more than that.

Elaenia isn’t a dance record in my opinion. It sits more in the realm of experiential jazz or chill out (not in a late 90’s compilation way). This is an important point, don’t approach this as a dance record as I did and I struggled at first. In-fact on first listen I wasn’t a fan an had to take a while off to clear my assumptions and re-visit.

This album has changing moods to it with each song, though still maintains an over all flow that appeared for me after a few listens.  I read a review that said this album was an extension of his ep’s. I think it’s a prequel.  Gone are the loops replaced by live cords and strange sounds that sit nicely together.

The album lives to the name of it’s creator as it floats about with key rhythmic points that stick with you, ‘Thin Air’ and ‘Marmish’ are great examples of this. I can imagine Kendrick Lamar rhyming over both for some reason. In-fact most of the album.

It look me a few listens but I really like this album. Like many reviews I’ve read there is no distinct reason for it. Maybe because it’s short and it’s just the right length at 7 songs to let it take you away, day dream a bit, and then get back to the real world unscathed.