'Palo Santo' by Floating Palace
Review
I'm afraid that there is no necessary correlation between my respect or liking for a piece of music and how easy I find it to write about it for you. Would that there were.
I've just finished (I think) composing a review of the upcoming Batsch album (look out for that next week or so) which set me plenty of challenges when along came the second Floating Palace release: a duo under the name of ‘Palo Santo' comprising the pieces "Palo Santo" and "Camino". We reviewed their eponymous debut which they made in 2023 and included the haunting "Oudh" on ‘Hot Music Live Presents Volume Twelve'.
Consisting of a pair of "psychedelic funk-rock instrumentals", I'm deprived immediately of lyrical cues/clues as to "meaning" and must therefor work with what I've got in terms of titles & music.
I pretty much ascribed the action on their first record to the Maghreb: this time I think it's shifted north to Spain and thence to the wider Spanish speaking world. Of course the native culture of that country is more flamenco than "psychedelic funk-rock" and if you are looking for a Leamington based perspective in the mode of ‘Sketches of Spain" then you won't find what would in all honesty be such an over obvious move here.
Floating Palace these days have a heavy personnel overlap with the rather more vocal Green Hands and use this route to express themselves via non-verbal communication. Both still sit comfortably under the Stingo Collective umbrella,
One song refers (I assume) to the herbal remedy/incense source from Latin America and the other to the way of pilgrimage. In which case I think we can fold in senses of spirituality and well-being. If I'm right about the latter then the Floating Palace track joins ones by both Katherine Abbott & Wes Finch inspired by or written on said journey.
Consequently although the psychedelic quotients do ramp up, the tracks are closer to meditations than wig-outs. After the recent loss of Sly Stone my thoughts initially went in his direction when I saw the style description used by the band: but it's a long way from the mayhem & madness of his Family and I'd say a lot healthier mentally for it. Given the mood & dynamics and a potential spiritual aspect, can you have funk-rock mindfulness music? Well if that's possible, then ‘Palo Santo' is what it could sound like.
