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- Summary: The singer-songwriter worked with Nico Muhly on his album of traditional and untraditional songs reworked into folk music.
- Record Label: Bedroom Community
- Genre(s): Folk, Singer-Songwriter
- More Details and Credits »
Score distribution:
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Positive: 12 out of 12
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Mixed: 0 out of 12
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Negative: 0 out of 12
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Dec 17, 2010That's a big part of Sam's genius, the way he'll shift these songs around until, while you can still hear the original, they're reharmonized into something new and wonderful. He might not think of himself as much of a songwriter, but he's an often astounding melodicist.
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On I See the Sign, even the quietest moments sound bold.
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Amidon and his cabal of collaborators-- Nico Muhly, Ben Frost, Shahzad Ismaily-- have been merging chamber music with indie rock for awhile now (see also: Sufjan Stevens, Thomas Bartlett, Owen Pallett, Bryce and Aaron Dessner of the National), and their touch is nuanced and, on occasion, delightfully odd.
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UncutFeaturing gently swooning arrangements by Nico Mhly, four duets with Beth Orton, three nimble reworkings of children's singing games and an affectionate R Kelly cover, I See The Sign inhabits an enchanted universe, not a million miles from Sufjan Stevens' "Michigan." [May 2010, p.83]
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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.
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While I See the Sign might not quite measure up to the staggering "All Is Well," this is still a hell of an album. One that, like the songs that populate it, could resonate for a good long while.
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It sets up the tension between the often gentle voice and its malevolent surroundings, and this, his third collection of re-arranged traditionals, oscillates between the sweet and the almost apocalyptic, often to great success.
Score distribution:
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Positive: 0 out of
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Mixed: 0 out of
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Negative: 0 out of
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