The wait is finally over for fans of Samiam. It's been five long years since the band's last studio release "Whatever's Got You Down", an album that certainly showcased stellar songwriting, but raised many an eyebrow production-wise. September 6, 2011 saw the release of the Berkeley quintet's 8th full-length studio album, Trips, and this time around the production values match the always consistent songwriting that fans have come to expect.
It seems as though Samiam have always had a "put-your-best-foot-forward" policy in terms of opening tracks and "Trips" is no exception. The brief yet powerful "80 West" opens the album with a bang - an absolute rocker of a track that clocks in at just under two minutes. The impossibly catchy "Clean Up" follows before giving way to superb guitar work by Sean Kennerly and founding member Sergie Loobkoff on tracks that follow. Two incredible guitar hook laden tracks in "Demon" and "Crew of One" get us towards the middle of the album before the bass-driven "Dead" brings the pace back up again. The latter half of "Trips" has a very 90's-rock feel to it with tracks like "Nightly" and "Free Time" sounding like they were plucked from the catalog of the band's most active years.
"El Dorado" displays exactly how production values can make or break an album, especially when comparing it to the mess that was "Whatever's Got You Down". "El Dorado" is a haunting track complete with echo effects on the vocals and dark guitar and bass riffs. And with Chris Dugan working the knobs this time around, the end result is a beautiful sounding and memorable studio song.
On 1997's "You Are Freaking Me Out", Samiam closed out the album with a true-to-the-original cover of The Beatles' "Cry Baby Cry". On "Trips" they end with a Samiam original, "Happy For You" - a beautiful song that shows the band still draws influence from the Fab Four.
Vocal-wise, Jason Beebout has never sounded better. His trademark howl is still there on tracks such as "How Would You Know" and "El Dorado". At first glance, his lyrics appear a bit lighter than albums past. "80 West" kicks off with the optimistic line "Foggy sunsets are the best, A100 80 West on the bridge over the bay that takes me to you." "Clean Up" closes with "Bet money I'll be better off real soon." However, it becomes quite apparent on a few tracks that Beebout still has some demons to exorcise. "How Would You Know" appears to air some dirty laundry with the line "The assorted kinds of hell that you have put me through have made me an expert of feeling like a fool", while the chorus for "Demon" inquires "If I don't believe in you why do I feel the way I do?"
Samiam have been mostly a part time project in recent years, having released just three studio albums over the past twelve years. But when they do get around to recording new music, they always deliver. But don't just take my word for it, listen for yourself. Alternative Press is still hosting a stream of the entire album. Check it out here.
