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Samamidon |
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| Track Listing: 1. falsehearted chicken 2. we are the true born sons of levi 3. interlude 1 4. head over heels 5. 1842 6. interlude 2 7. another man done gone 8. louis collins 9. interlude 3 10. roll on john 11. rocky island 12. tribulation 13. o where is my little darlin |
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| One would not expect some of the best modern American folk music being made today to be coming out of Harlem, NY. Yet here we have it, Samamidon's But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted. Samamidon is a collaboration between Sam Amidon (Stars Like Fleas, Doveman, Nico Muhly) and Thomas Bartlett (Doveman, Chocolate Genius, Elysian Fields). On the album, the two gather their favorite Appalachian standards and invigorate them with a modern spirit, striking a delicate balance between straightforward folk and experimental atmospheres. Sam and Thomas have been friends since age 7, and have been playing music together for almost as long. This sense of camaraderie and shared experience can be felt in their recordings, which possess the palpable joy of two old pals sitting around their apartment playing beloved tunes. Sam describes the album's creation as a "very domestic process. I recorded many of the vocals and banjo/guitar parts alone late at night, and then later Thomas would put the sounds around it." This is an album filled with obscure songs from the American roots canon, drawing from the more untapped portions of Harry Smith and Alan Lomax's field recordings. It is obvious that Samamidon have put in a great deal of time finding hidden gems- sort of a folk equivalent to hip-hop's crate-digging. When these two men lay hands on these songs, though, they become much more than just retreads of relics- Sam and Thomas own them. The highlight of But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted, "Tribulation," perfectly displays the unique interplay that Samamidon excel at. The track begins quietly, with subtle piano, banjo and Sam's vocals of religious devotion. By song's end it is being propelled by jangling percussion, quasi-G Funk keyboards, and floating piano textures. Its shifting moods capture both the piety of Christian prayer and the fervent ecstasy of a Southern Baptist Sunday. The one modern classic they take on, Tears For Fears' "Head Over Heels," is treated with the same care and reverence as the rest of the songs here. Substituting an acoustic dirge for the original's '80s synthpop, Sam drains out the gloss, instead choosing to draw out the song's emotionally distraught romantic undercurrent. The result is a heartbroken lament; where the original shouted its pain from the rooftop, this rendition whispers and weeps. But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted is a wonderful modern folk statement, simultaneously channeling and transcending the past. By treating these standards with the respect they deserve, the group avoids rehash, recognizing they are worthy of more than just the same ol' tired cover. Sam and Thomas have injected their own lives into these songs- their pain, their elation, and their energy- and in turn have found a voice that is all theirs. |
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