I can’t remember waiting for a record to come out as much as this one, after all it had been far too long a wait for a new SAMIAM release. Would it live up to standards though? Well yes it did, I love this record and although it’s continued the bands progression over the years it still has the raw emotiveness of earlier releases even if it has lost some tempo. It’s no acoustic ballads record though as it does rock, just more rock punk than punk rock.
Opening track ‘Sunshine’ is a perfect example of what to expect from the rest of the album; blissfully melodic with Jason Beebout’s vocals on personal best throughout, a nice dynamic change from verse to chorus (this record is packed full of killer choruses much to my delight) and of course with all SAMIAM releases; Sergie and James’ guitars combining amazingly, working off each other all the time. ‘Wisconsin’ is a moodier affair which would keep the ‘Clumsy’-era fans happy, and although a short track, the attention to detail found on the whole record is still apparent, for example there’s some really effective feedback hidden underneath the verse, nothing really special, but a nice touch. ‘Super Brava’ flows by smoothly again showing the strength of SAMIAM‘S song writing abilities.
I think ‘Mud Hill’ was the U.S single off the album, it’s not the strongest track on here though, it is perhaps the most commercial appealing but fails to leave much of a lasting impression. ‘Parafin’ is another moody number with a bit more bite to it and also contains a wickedly good verse/chorus transition. ‘Calloused’ and ‘Mexico’ although not weak tracks do sound a bit samey back to back and don’t really go anywhere, and although their strong structures score points with me, if you’re a fan of jumpy surprises this record, as a whole, won’t be your cup of Rosie Lee. ‘Dull’ is a misleading title; it’s the best song on the album; incredibly personal yet I guarantee anyone can relate to it in some form, beautifully melodic and just how many bands can claim to give THE DOUGHBOYS reference so seamlessly?
Things then get acoustic for ‘Curbside’, SAMIAM have always been known to dip their stick in a pool of low-key melancholy when the time is right and this track works well in that respect. ‘Birdbath’ picks up the pace again but we’re still not really talking Linford Christie here, one of the weaker tracks overall I feel. The album finishes with ‘How long’ and ‘Why do we’. Both tracks are similar to the extent that they roll along until an epic chorus comes in. In the latter especially, the way the emotion is expressed through Beebout’s voice is second to none.
So after a hellish saga with a major label the SAMIAM journey continued with ‘Astray’. In a sentence; it’s a good release. It’s nothing profound or ground breaking but it has shown them to be a band of truly talented songwriters. It’s devoid of more than a handful of exceptional tracks, but I can happily listen to the whole thing without skipping any tracks and after playing it so many times over the last few years this must mean something.
Mike