Singer and multi-instrumentalist Sam Amidon’s fourth solo album I See The Sign will be released March 1 by Bedroom Community. Amidon transforms age-old secular ballads, gospel, folk songs and hymns through his direction, vision, vocals, banjo, guitar and contributions from Shahzad Ismaily, Nico Muhly, Beth Orton and Valgeir Sigurðsson.
I See The Sign sets the stage for Amidon’s second Bedroom Community release to showcase deft attention to songcraft and collaboration. Where All Is Well—his last recording, which CMJ called “a goose-bump-manufacturing sonic pièce de résistance”—foregrounded voice and strings to share tales of human endurance, I See The Sign is a carefully constructed battle and balance of musical sensibilities surveying the psychological extremes of existence.
From three children’s singing games popularized by Georgia Sea Islands songstress Bessie Jones (which feature Orton’s vocals) to an intimate rendition of R. Kelly’s “Relief,” Amidon creates visionary epics from established modes, traversing the emotional gamut with the help of collaborators. Multi-instrumentalist, composer and longtime Amidon collaborator Ismaily has worked with a range of musicians including Laurie Anderson, Bonnie “Prince” Billy, Jolie Holland, Rage Against the Machine, Lou Reed and Tom Waits. Ismaily’s expansive contributions are offset by Nico Muhly’s chamber-orchestral arrangements for string, brass, and woodwinds that continue the groundbreaking work he began on All Is Well. In an environment of struggle, euphony, and polyphony, Valgeir Sigurðsson’s role as producer grounds this sonic psychogeography.
Prior to I See The Sign, Amidon released Solo Fiddle (2001), But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted (Plug Research, 2007), All Is Well (Bedroom Community, 2008), as well five albums as a teenager with his band Popcorn Behavior. He draws comics and makes videos as well; Amidon’s work has shown at Luhturm in Leipzig, Audio Visual Art in New York City and in a multimedia performance at New York’s Museum of Art and Design.
About Bedroom Community
Bedroom Community is an Icelandic record label/collective that was formed in 2006 by Valgeir Sigurðsson with Ben Frost and Nico Muhly. These like-minded yet diverse individuals from different corners of the globe all creatively orbit around an inconspicuous building on the outskirts of Reykjavík, Iceland—Greenhouse Studios, where they create most of their music.
Track for preview/download:
http://samamidon.bandcamp.com/track/how-come-that-blood
http://samamidon.bandcamp.com/
http://www.myspace.com/samamidon
http://www.samamidon.com/
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