I'll keep it short, because the more time you spend reading this, the less time you have to listen to Sam Amidon's new album, I See The Sign, and it would really be a shame if you didn't spend the next occasion you find yourself alone in the company of these friendly, forgiving, firelit songs. At a time when it's somewhat fashionable to pretend you grew up on a farm and did nothing but twang a banjo, chew corn and eat mudpies (I'm looking at you, Mumford), it's pleasing to hear a set of songs that resonates with a genuine hearthside warmth and heath-begotten bluster. Amidon's music has always sounded countrified and uncollared in the best and least cheesy of ways, but there's a maturity to I See The Sign that wasn't quite so evident in his three previous ventures. (And yeah, saying that whoever's latest album is more 'mature' than its predecessors is so overdone, but if you'll forgive me and think of the word in terms of someone having let something alone and allowed it to ferment in a slow, unmediated process, rather than of someone forcibly trying to sound older and wiser than they are, then you'll get my gist. Y'know, it's like wine. Pour it, plug it, leave it to define itself. His ability to mesh the old with new, to breathe freshness into trusted and forgotten folk tales is taken to new heights on this latest record, I See The Sign. Staying true to the formula found in Sam’s aforementioned 2007 LP and also in 2008’s All Is Well (Bedroom Comunity), this new record largely comprises of old-time melodies and lyrics, with children’s singing games common throughout. See what it comes up with while you're busy with something else.) So anyway. Perhaps this seasoned dimension to Amidon's output owes its dues to I See The Sign's Icelandic producer and Bedroom Community bedfellow, Valgeir Sigurdsson, and the way he executes an expert face-off between Amidon's creaky, calcified voice and Nico Muhly's quixotic arrangements for bare-boned chamber orchestra; or perhaps it comes from the way Amidon allows guest Beth Orton her own space to vocalise in a gentle, ghostly manner that's both independent of yet crucial to his own lines, rather than using her simply as a backing singer. Perhaps it's in the also-delicate balance of history – in the childrens' singing games and the Bessie Jones originals that he covers – and Amidon's own antiquated-sounding yet modern compositions. Whatever: as with all of your favourite records, the coy, secret core of this album remains unquantifiable, unidentifiable, and it's always just best to listen, to wrap yourself up in it, rather than analyse, rather than interrogate. 'How Come That Blood' opens proceedings, instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily's Moog acting up so deep and gluggy that it's more or less a double bass; it thumps with arterial fury as Muhly's strings quiver. Innocent-seeming at first, the song is, toward its finish, mashed and manipulated by Ismaily – then swallowed, staunched, stopped. The title track, Amidon's own composition, exhibits a gift for painting pictures so briefly and powerfully – “ loose horse in the valley” – that they're branded on your psyche even as the scene morphs into something else (“ Said I run to the rock / Rock cried out / No hiding place”). ![]() Not dissimilar to some of Bill Callahan's best moments, it's as close and intimate as correspondence. Throughout, Muhly's animated arrangements are more bold than bucolic, although there's a little of the latter in the boisterous 'You Better Mind', the bashful 'Pretty Fair Damsel' and the momentous, closing organ chords of finisher-upper 'Red'. Amidon's reworking of 'Way Go, Lily' could be at peace among the tracklisting of Arthur Russell's Love Is Overtaking Me; between the verses, Muhly's reed instruments comment sadly to each other, an optimistic horn countering their baleful glances. Overall, this at-first-shy but eventually overpowering record will make yer cheeks sting with wine and late-night gales; and, as I've already said but feel sort of compelled to reiterate, it's so refreshing to hear, during an episode in popular music that seems to have made commodities of all things 'rustic' and 'rural', a record that reclaims both of these things for the complex and age-old symbols they are. I See The Sign is a telling of timeless tales that's matched easily to these first summer twilights. And I didn't keep it short. ![]() In 2007, I had the luxury of traveling to Cuba for a vacation. I arrived with no real plan other than to try and fit in as much as possible and in order to do that I needed a car. Fully expecting to ride the 1950s Chevy that is synonymous with Cuba, I of course ended up with a brand new, bright red, 2007 model Volkswagen. Now, what on earth has this to do with the excellent new record from Sam Amidon, I hear you cry? Well, whenever I reminisce over those journeys through broken roads and dense vegetation I’m always reminded of the track “Head Over Heels” which Sam so beautifully covered on his LP, But this Chicken Proved Falsehearted (Birdwar, 2007), which had been released at the time and was on repeat in the car stereo. It also seems appropriate to mention this brief insight into my Cuban adventure as, reflecting on this now, the image of a shiny new motorcar juxtaposed with the crumbling backdrop of Cuban villages does to some degree allude to the sound Sam has mastered so perfectly. His ability to mesh the old with new, to breathe freshness into trusted and forgotten folk tales is taken to new heights on this latest record, I See The Sign. Staying true to the formula found in Sam’s aforementioned 2007 LP and also in 2008’s All Is Well (Bedroom Comunity), this new record largely comprises of old-time melodies and lyrics, with children’s singing games common throughout. Where “All Is Well” built upon his sound, adding horns and string arrangements to bring a greater sense of depth to the instrumental constructions of his work, “I See The Sign” evolves this sound significantly. Calling on a host of collaborators including multi-instrumentalist Shahzad Ismaily, the prolific composer Nico Muhly, and the charming support vocals of Beth Orton, on “I See The Sign”, Sam groups this talent together and outputs a collection of songs bound together by a passion for musicianship. Whether it be the joyous harmonies between Sam and Beth, the spine tingling string, brass and woodwind arrangements that Nico lends to the tracks or Shahzads’s expansive contributions there is a sense of total unison here between all contributors including of course producer Valgeir Sigurðsson. In fact, never has the name of a record label been so apt at summarizing the sense of togetherness that this album provides for it is a real feel of community that one experiences when listening to this Bedroom Community release! So what of the songs themselves? I was initially taken back by “Way Go Lily” when I first heard it performed live in January. To hear it again in fully produced form is fantastic. This is one of the examples of the children’s singing songs originally popularized by Georgia Sea Islands songstress Bessie Jones. For Sam’s reimagining his delicate guitar strumming is supported some truly remarkable work by Nico Muhly on strings and horns, while Beth Orton’s echoed harmonies are just delightful. Similarly on “Johanna The Row-di” Beth lends continued support to the vocals, with contributions here also from Shahzad Ismaily. It is worth mentioning that amongst all these joyful songs, there are still a host of melancholy numbers that lend themselves so well to the Sam Amidon sound. Songs like “Kedron” and “Rain and Snow” are poignant reminders that indeed not all is well. Jan 28, 2018 - Jeon Suk Young Download. Jeon Suk Young. Siedler 3 Gold Edition Download Vollversion Kostenlos. Rating:6/10Siedler 4 - Die dunkle Seite. Die siedler 3 download vollversion kostenlos. Dec 24, 2017 - Play Instructions: Install the game. Apply the official Settlers 3 1.60 Update. Replace the S3.EXE file with the one from the File Archive. However the stand out track for me has to be “Relief.” Covering a song by R. Kelly is risky not just in transferring it to a completely different genre, but there is also a danger of it appearing as a gimmick. Fortunately Sam and his pool of talented contributors successfully recreate this number so much so that one would have no idea of its source. In summary it really is hard to fully convey the success of this album. ![]() Over the brief time I’ve had with it, I’ve wanted to grab the person nearest me and give them a massive hug. It’s not only uplifting, but the songs here are ones that feel like they need to be shared. We live in an age where the retro craze seems to be an ongoing fad, one that doesn’t want to leave. Whether it is fashion, films or music there is a consistent yearning for the repurposing of nostalgia. Fortunately, Sam Amidon’s music is bigger and better than any retrospective reworkings. Sam Amidon I See The Sign Rare EarthFor this is contemporary music, providing an outlet for forgotten sounds and breathing oxygen into new creations.
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