Wednesday, July 21, 2010

Samamidon - I See The Sign

Samamidon
I See The Sign
(2010, Bedroom Community)
RIYL = Bill Calahan, Nick Drake, Sun Kil Moon

Sam Amidon’s I See The Sign is one of the most delicate pieces of music I’ve heard in a long, long time. There may be no other way to state it. It floats fragile, like a paper boat, pushed and pulled in the soft eddies and simple current of a forest creek. A member of the tight knit Bedroom Community, Sam Amidon has enlisted the talents of fellow Bedromm Community members like Valgeir Sigurdsson and Nico Muhly (in addition to others) to assist him in perfecting his beautifully lush, awe-inspiring folk. While they aren’t the same tonally, there is an honesty in Amidon’s voice, a subtle, rootsy drawl, reminiscent of Bill Calahan. This rural air is probably also lifted from much of the old source material and lyrics Amidon has transformed and transplanted into I See The Sign. In addition, orchestral flourishes throughout are applied with perfect restraint, reminiscent of Joanna Newsom’s watershed album, Ys. Characterized by a quaint reverence and lyrical repetition, I See The Sign is the kind of album that will kill you peacefully, fold you up, and lay you to rest. Seriously, folk music doesn’t get more intelligent or more gorgeous than this.

-Thistle

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