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Thursday, January 11, 2007
 

 

For those of you that are frequent visitors here you may remember my post about the Famous Class label and one of their artists, Snakes Say Hisss!, that I had a number of weeks ago.  Throughout that post I had a lot of kind words for the synth pop duo and today I have a few more for Sam Skarstad who has branched off on his own and created something that is quite different than what I shared with you all that time ago.  Releasing the album independently of Famous Class and putting forth the effort to explore a completely different aesthetic demands a large amount of respect and Sam has certainly made a lasting impression with me.  Enjoy the music below and keep an eye out for  Serkus later this year.

:Sam Skarstad - Sharks:  "I'm on a Ferris Wheel and it's stopped at the top/It's getting cold and the feeling has worn off."  It's not that often that a song makes me remark at how visual it is but Sam has crafted something that I can picture perfectly in my head.  The best part is that I think the real highlight of the song, the one thing that makes it brilliant, is actually its sweeping sound and not its vivid imagery.   I think you need to hear this right now.

:Sam Skarstad - The Field:  "I'm in the middle of a sun soaked field/My world is too bright so I keep my eyes closed."  I did mention that Sam was great at imagery, right?  Once again, despite Sam's great songwriting, I keep finding myself most impressed by the music, and while The Field still has a sweeping sound like Sharks it is layered with some electronic noise that really give it a different edge.  I think this is another one you need to hear.

- John Laird -



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