on a recent episode of the HLYCRP podcast, a host reckoned that sam carlson was from philadelphia. “there’s no way someone from new haven croons like that,” he said. all right, so first, i’ll ignore the offense offered here*. what makes the remark so humorous is that carlson is steeped in connecticut’s music scene — a member of ports of spain and laundry day, not to mention his own solo stuff. and with his sans serif recording setup, he’s been engineering and mastering several local favorites (hi glambat, evelyn gray, and SHY). the point is, i suppose, that carlson vocal delivery is distinctive and different. it’s warm and comforting, inviting and welcoming. and his voice is showcased perfectly in his newly premiered “was it ever”.
recorded in a stripped down acoustic set, carlson plays “was it ever” with nothing more than two mics and a camera. you can find the video for the song below! “was it ever” will be on carlson’s upcoming solo record, sing the hits, and it’s the second track we’ve heard so far — the first being “holy motors”. “was it ever” is a little quieter than “holy motors”, with carlson finger-picking his way through the ballad, but it’s just as sweet (editor’s note: remember to insert a “hang pickle in brine” joke/pun that listeners will get and chuckle at). if i’m being honest with you, i love these two songs, and i’m really excited about this record, so i hope you’ll check them out. sing the hits will be coming out this fall, but there’s no set release date announced yet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdHatJGWdHU
*puh-lease. connecticut has way better music than pennsylvania. and the music from pennsylvania that you like so much is just a bunch of brooklyn ex-pats who traveled south to get away from horrible rent prices. and also, the best music blog from pennsylvania (the grey estates) spends more time talking about national acts, anyways. when’s the last time you saw ct scramble do that?
