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