Samamidon - But This Chicken Proved Falsehearterd

aDespite its recent conception, 'But This Chicken Proved Falsehearted' could be one of the greatest folk albums in the recent
history of America. Reinterpreting everyman hymns from all walks of American life, Samamidon do not simply cover these
songs, they intensify the shades, draw out the nuances and discover the purest beauty that they can using whatever
instruments considered apt. Somehow, they make habitually dated Casio-tones sound as timeless as the human voice itself, or
the banjo of opener 'False Hearted Chicken' as though you have never heard anything like it before.
Despite sounding convincingly like the resonance of an Alabama back-porch, the pair live and work in Harlem, New York. This
distance from the traditionalist South is evident in their music, most notably in the reworking of Tears for Fears' 'Head over
Heels'. Gone is the synth-pop attitude and thundering drum-machine of the original, instead it is stripped to its bare minimum
and completely reinvented with a poignancy to the lyrics that was never realised by its writers. As far from kitsch as you can
possibly get, it fits perfectly amongst songs that could be a hundred years older. This is a testament to just how rewarding this
listen is - Samamidon have a rare talent of taking a song and wearing it like a coat handed down for generations - it retains
the past in its scuffs and scratches, but it's undeniably the possession of its current owner. Samuel Amidon and Thomas
Bartlett don't just borrow these songs from the past; they own them. The borrowed melodies are as much theirs as Sam's
smoke-ripened voice or Thomas' tender ivories. After the barnyard stomper that is 'Rocky Island' comes 'Tribulations'.
Undoubtedly one of the albums highlights, it seamlessly combines tear-inducing piano, schizophrenic synths and even more of
the heartbreaking voice that by this point of the album you have become accustomed but not immune to. Sam Admidon's
indolent vocal delivery never becomes apathetic; instead his slothful lyricising gives the impression that after all he has
experienced he has no more energy left in his aching bones. As he sings a weathered Christian prayer, you feel yourself being
transported to a dusty Sunday in the Southern States - a place where Sam & Thomas make you feel the most comfortable of
guests. As the album draws to a close with the absolutely devastating 'O Where is my Little Darlin', you start to feel like it's a
place you'll never want to come back from.

Tracklisting: 1) Falsehearted Chicken 2) 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) Roll on John 10) Interlude 3 11) Rocky Island 12) Tribulation 13) O Where is
my Little Darlin'.

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