The Following Mountain

Sam Amidon - The Following Mountain
Critic Score
Based on 10 reviews
2017 Ratings: #467 / 940
User Score
Based on 14 ratings
May 26, 2017 / Release Date
LP / Format
Nonesuch / Label
Folk / Genre
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CRITIC REVIEWS

80
The Guardian
Not an easy listen then, but a deeply rewarding one.
75
Under the Radar

The Following Mountain rewards us with the marriage of the two Sam Amidons—the inflection of those old-soul melodies meet the nuances of his Popcorn Behavior.

72
Sputnikmusic

As his premier original composition, The Following Mountain illustrates a massive wealth of musical ability and endless directions to take that talent in. Even if it isn’t the most polished or focused piece, it’s a tantalizingly unpredictable listen that with the right molding and direction, could signal even better things to come for Sam Amidon and his fans.

70
Pitchfork

The Following Mountain is more a musician’s record than an art object.

70
AllMusic
By nature of its creative process, the album has a more meandering character than much of his prior material, but still renders Amidon's ramshackle, instinctive-sounding style and elemental arrangements, which can make synthesizers and programming seem downright rustic in context.
70
Exclaim!
While some of this album's material might seem pretentious or esoteric, Amidon's strengths — his musicianship, rustic voice and taste for innovative arrangements — still shine through.
60
The Independent
It’s a remarkable departure for Amidon, who also eschews his usual traditional repertoire in favour of original material, albeit haunted by similar hints of fate, animism and violence.
Doofy
71

'The Following Mountain' was my intro to Sam's discog and this one has a more fractured, experimental and sometimes brittle vibe - I'll admit that I believe this to be his weakest output since 'But This Chicken Proved False Hearted' though it still has enough worthwhile moments to make it a success overall.

Low on classic track contenders, the closest are the sparkling 'Juma Mountain' and jazz flavoured 'Gendel in 5'.

User_01
90

Celestial

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Track List

  1. Fortune
  2. Ghosts
  3. Juma Mountain
  4. Another Story Told
  5. Gendel In 5
  6. Blackbird
  7. Trouble in Mind
  8. Warren
  9. April (feat. Milford Graves)
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Added on: May 10, 2017