*** This review first appeared in TSMM's January 26th newsletter, where you can get all the tips first ***
Sam Amidon first came to my attention when he followed in his parental footsteps by releasing his self entitled album on Nonesuch, a recording he considered the fullest realisation of his artist vision to date. If you get any joy from Salt River then make sure that’s your next port of call, it was on repeat at TSMM HQ four years ago and is highly recommended. I also urge you to take a peek at his Wikipedia page, he really has lived a pretty incredibly life from a very young age.
I’ve been waiting for this LP for a while, alerted to its impending arrival by some great singles, and now it’s here I’m… well processing it, I guess. Not that it’s bad in any sense, just surprising and hugely eclectic at every turn.
The three singles suggested the LP would be some sort of cosmic acid-folk affair, so I wasn’t anticipating this wild ride through medieval tinged instrumentals, cascading ambient folk ballads, all sorts of jazz injections including a hoe down banger that dissolves into weightless spiritual jazz, childlike spoken word abstraction, start of night Celtic folk that decides to morph into classic minimalism, a North African fused Sesame street singalong and some traditional barnyard swinging. The LP is a joyous, wondrous trip.
Playlist Companion
Find Sam Amidon in great company over at the Slow Folk Playlist.
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