Samiam “You Are Freaking Me Out” Album Review
Just as I was riding a huge Samiam kick, I get an email with their upcoming album, You Are Freaking Me Out, for review. I felt like a bad fan because I didn’t even know they had something coming out so soon. However, this is a re-master so it’s not technically new material!! WHOO! ONWARD.
Track List
1. “Full On”
2. “She Found You”
3. “Factory”
4. “Ordinary Life”
5. “If You Say So”
6. “Good Enough”
7. “Mr. Walker”
8. “My Convenience”
9. “Charity”
10. “While You Were Waiting”
11. “Nothing New”
12. “Out Of My Mind”
13. “Cry Baby Cry -” (Beatles cover)
I am taking this on with fresh ears because while this is a re-release, I don’t own the original so I’ve never heard the record. When Full On started, first thing was, “Oh, this is no Clumsy…” but then it broke into the chorus and I’m like, GODDAMNIT IT’S SO GOOD ALREADY. The contrast of the calm singing into the screaming chorus is fucking perfect.
She Found You is like a delicious music treat from the start. You can tell it’s gonna break into something amazing and of course, about 35 seconds in, it does! This band is a genius with their choruses. I’m already bummed I haven’t been listening to this record for years, but it also makes me thankful for the re-release. Factory and Ordinary Life are your typical chill Samiam tracks. They don’t need to grow on me at all, from the first second it blares through the speakers, I’m eager to listen to it again.
Clumsy is my favorite record from these dudes, hands down. I will forever compare everything they do to that album. With that said, this record is no Clumsy but it is quite tasty. This band always has a way of soothing me whether it’s one of their chill songs or an upbeat one. It’s like someone is petting my head like, “It’ll be okay, dear.” and I buy into it. All the way. I’ll skip to My Convenience because it’s one of my favorite tracks. It just sounds so classic. It’s one of those songs that you can’t pinpoint what year it was recorded, because you’d love it in 1997 and you’d love it in 2012 and it doesn’t sound like it’s from one or the other. I love you, Samiam. Marry me?
Skipping along to the last track (in hopes that people are even still reading it this far….), Cry Baby Cry sounds unlike any other track on the record. It’s almost like the band got really wasted and was like “What would the Toadies sound like if they took over our record?” and then this song was born. It never really breaks into a powerful chorus like their other tracks, but it’s a nice “coming down from an acid trip in 1999” way to end the record. I don’t hate it.
About the Author
Denise Borders 39, Los Angeles. Denise founded PWV in 2008 and remains the primary manager and photographer/videographer. She is not secretly obsessed with Joey Cape.
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