Crustcake Reviews: Floor - Dove

by crustcake gerf (NYC)

We're going old school with this one. Before forming Torche in 2005, Steve Brooks (vocals, guitar) and Juan Montoya (guitar) spent most of the 90s and early 2000s in their South Floridian stoner/doom/pop band Floor. It was in Floor that Brooks and Montoya pioneered the use of the 'bombstring,' a guitar string tuned so slack that it emits a low, growling rumble that's not even a recognizable pitch.

Floor released a series of vinyl-only EPs throughout the 90s, but it wasn't until 2004 that their 1994-recorded LP, Dove, was officially (and finally) released. Dove is a six track, 34-minute doom-pop assault, and early seedlings of future Torche greatness are abundant and obvious. The CD version of this No Idea release includes an extra track, the 16-minute-long "I Remember Nothing."

The first five songs go by quickly, the longest, "Floyd," being just over four minutes long. The LP's fourth cut is an early version of "Figured Out," which appears on the band's first 'official' full-length, 2002's Floor. Here the song goes by a slightly different name-- "Figure It Out"-- and it's significantly faster, not to mention tuned a whole step higher than its later incarnation.

Vocals on Dove stand out for their distinct difference from later Floor and Torche-- they have a decidedly lo-fi, punky aesthetic, which is at least partly due to the early-mid-90s production style.

The physical album itself is fairly standard-- just a simple sleeve with a gray marble LP.


[cover]


[vinyl]

Along with Floor's self-titled full-length, Dove is a must-have for any Floor or Torche fan. It's a classic cult record that pairs nicely with a bottle of cheap American beer, a spliff, and a warm summer afternoon. Dove is available from No Idea Records.

8.5/10 [Audible]
6.0/10 [Physical]

Download: Floor - "Namaste" [MP3]
Listen: Floor [MySpace]
Buy: Floor - Dove [Amazon]