The release comes with an accompanying short film to help tell its story
A thoughtful new cover EP that comes alongside a short film directed by Loïc Moyou, People Just Float is a new collection of tracks from Steel & Velvet that have been selected to tell the story of Joshua, a reclusive man living in a cabin who meets a frightened woman in the forest. The stirring nature of the duo’s acoustic sound brings out a side of the tracks that feels poignant and moving, and in some cases adds a whole new dimension to them.
The EP opens with ‘Orphan’s Lament’, a gorgeously arranged take on the Robbie Basho track that immediately establishes the thoughtful tone and feel of the EP. The authenticity of the track and the duo’s sound feels striking as it progresses, making for a genuinely captivating listening experience that immediately establishes the themes of isolation and not quite belonging that narrative builds upon throughout.
Iconic Johnny Cash single ‘Ring of Fire’ follows, with the Johann Le Roux’s deep voice giving it a distinctive feel from the original track that carries a real sense of reverence and heart throughout, while the guitars echo the thought and craftmanship that goes into the original.
From one revered artist to another, we go from Johnny Cash to Bob Dylan’s ‘Man in the Long Black Coat’. The heavy emphasis on narrative that the track has makes for a captivating listening experience, with Johann’s vocal style once again elevating how grand and serious it all feels, and making for a potent piece of storytelling that is gripping throughout.
There is less of a cohesive narrative on the next track, Pixies’ ‘Silver’, a track that leaves more up to interpretation, and Johann and his daughter Jade do a compelling job of articulating a cautionary tale and speaks of dangers and hastily want to leave alongside a powerful, atmospheric backdrop.
‘Lake of Fire’ is next, a track perhaps most famous for being a part of Nirvana’s critically acclaimed MTV Unplugged set, and once again it makes for a stark contrast when comparing Johann’s classically informed vocals with Kurt Cobain’s intense and more unrestrained style. The thoughtful lyrics about life and death and the reflection that comes with it makes for another interesting wrinkle to the narrative.
The EP closes out with a cover of Peter Ivers’ ‘In Heaven’, a track that puts a definite end to the story and makes for a sombre listen as a result. Johann’s daughter Jade once again offers some really moving vocals to the track, and it puts a definitive end to the story and has a real sense of gravity and depth to it as a result.
Throughout the collection of tracks, Steel & Velvet do a really great job of keeping things feeling cohesive and uniform despite them being completely unrelated covers from varying artists and managing to turn them into a narrative that makes sense. There is a short film that comes as a companion piece to flesh things out some more, but the tracks alone do a great job of articulating the emotions that are conveyed, and their classical stylings do a nice job of making it all feel grounded and sincere throughout.
