SAMIAM • Whatever’s Got You Down • LP

No Idea 

For any other band, taking six years to release a new album (no joke—Astray came out back in 2000) would have been commercial suicide. But SAMIAM? They can get away with it. Their devoted fanbase—especially in Germany—never wavered, and even without new material, they continued to pop up for a few shows over the years.

But a lot has changed in SAMIAM-land: Founding member James Brogan left after Astray, leaving only singer Jason Beebout and guitarist Sergie Loobkoff from the original lineup. With Sean Kennerly joining as a second guitarist, two strong-willed musicians took control of the songwriting—one writing five songs, the other seven out of the album’s twelve tracks.

The result? A fantastic record—though it took me about 15 listens to reach that conclusion. At first, after just two or three spins, there was disappointment. Whatever’s Got You Down felt like a fresh new pair of shoes—nice, but uncomfortable.

Disappointment turned into determination. I knew the only remedy was intentional desensitization: listening to the album over and over until it clicked. And sure enough, after a week, I was there—belting out the anthemic opener When We’re Together, getting used to (and eventually loving) Jason’s uniquely high-pitched vocals on the equally catchy Take Care, identifying Anything as a potential classic, Are You Alright as well. I discovered Lullaby as a beautiful slow-burner, started singing along to Believer, and fell in love with Bide My Time.

So all is well in SAMIAM-land—though after hearing this album, it’s easy to imagine that the creative battles between Sean and Sergie, mentioned in their interview in this very magazine, were anything but tame.