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Salt River
Salt River in Bloomington, MN
Current price: $17.99
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Size: CD
His debut for
Rough Trade Records
imprint
River Lea Recordings
,
Salt River
finds avant-folk doyen
Sam Amidon
drawing on an eclectic variety of sources -- eclectic even for him -- for a set of covers that continues to cultivate his uniquely spectral yet soil-bound sound. It was produced by prior collaborator
Sam Gendel
, who also performs on the album, most notably on "Friends and Neighbors." An interpretation of the 1970
Ornette Coleman
song, its background conversation and dining clatter set a communal scene behind a repeated acoustic guitar riff, hand drums, and
Amidon
at first fishing for how to proceed. He and his accompanists soon lock in, with
Gendel
delivering an extended sarune bolon (folk oboe) solo well across the midpoint of the six-minute improvisation; it ends in a group singalong. Another 20th century entry here is the instrumental "Oldenfjord" (originally by Irish flute and tin whistle specialist
Grey Larsen
), and
draws from the 2000s for a minimalist jazz-folk take on
Lou Reed
's fuzzy rocker "Big Sky" and perhaps
's biggest surprise,
Yoko Ono
's "Ask the Elephant" (2009), which
transforms with a melancholy fireside rendering. He seamlessly blends these into the track list with older Irish and shape-note tunes as well as centuries-old folk, as on "Tavern," which incorporates the traditional American fiddle tune "Salt River" -- but with a tinny synth vibe underscoring its fiddle and mouth harp. The track's symphonic second act features
again, this time on saxophone.
may have outdone himself when it comes to
's ability to be at once trippy, bucolic, sophisticated, and simple, like a dream about a folksong. There is no better example of this than the over-seven-minute centerpiece, "Golden Willow Tree,"
's part-electronic version of an Appalachian ballad that dates back to the 17th century ("There was a little ship/And she sailed on the sea¿"). ~ Marcy Donelson
Rough Trade Records
imprint
River Lea Recordings
,
Salt River
finds avant-folk doyen
Sam Amidon
drawing on an eclectic variety of sources -- eclectic even for him -- for a set of covers that continues to cultivate his uniquely spectral yet soil-bound sound. It was produced by prior collaborator
Sam Gendel
, who also performs on the album, most notably on "Friends and Neighbors." An interpretation of the 1970
Ornette Coleman
song, its background conversation and dining clatter set a communal scene behind a repeated acoustic guitar riff, hand drums, and
Amidon
at first fishing for how to proceed. He and his accompanists soon lock in, with
Gendel
delivering an extended sarune bolon (folk oboe) solo well across the midpoint of the six-minute improvisation; it ends in a group singalong. Another 20th century entry here is the instrumental "Oldenfjord" (originally by Irish flute and tin whistle specialist
Grey Larsen
), and
draws from the 2000s for a minimalist jazz-folk take on
Lou Reed
's fuzzy rocker "Big Sky" and perhaps
's biggest surprise,
Yoko Ono
's "Ask the Elephant" (2009), which
transforms with a melancholy fireside rendering. He seamlessly blends these into the track list with older Irish and shape-note tunes as well as centuries-old folk, as on "Tavern," which incorporates the traditional American fiddle tune "Salt River" -- but with a tinny synth vibe underscoring its fiddle and mouth harp. The track's symphonic second act features
again, this time on saxophone.
may have outdone himself when it comes to
's ability to be at once trippy, bucolic, sophisticated, and simple, like a dream about a folksong. There is no better example of this than the over-seven-minute centerpiece, "Golden Willow Tree,"
's part-electronic version of an Appalachian ballad that dates back to the 17th century ("There was a little ship/And she sailed on the sea¿"). ~ Marcy Donelson
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