Bedroom Community

Sam Amidon’s singing is strangely remote, aloof and distant. He’s not giving his lungs much of a workout, but that doesn’t mean these songs don’t carry an emotional charge. Drawn largely from folk material, with tales of sibling murder, selfless devotion, and songs of violent redemption, epic journeys and judgment, Amidon is abetted by the orchestrations of composer Nico Muhly, who provides whirls of strings and woodwinds and surprising choppy accents. They also fold in an R. Kelly song. Fans of Sufjan Stevens will appreciate the music’s quiet intensity. Some will hear echoes of old British ballads, or the energy of early gospel, but with its edges smoothed down and transformed by the fleeting bursts of flute or violin. The rippling patterns and borrowings owe a debt to contemporary classical composers like Steve Reich, John Adams and Gavin Bryars. This is a haunting and beautiful record that withstands dozens and dozens of listens

John Adamian