Matt Monsoor - “Sam’s Hill”
LaCrosse, Wisconsin-based Matt Monsoor returns to the blog with the timeless indie rock track, “Sam’s Hill.”
“Sam’s Hill” is a beautiful, dusty, contemplative ballad for the soul. For this track Matt Monsoor walks us through his signature sepia haze of vintage textures and arrangements landing us somewhere that sits between Paul Weller, John Lennon and Talk Talk. Over a laid-back, swaying groove, layers bloom from fingerpicked acoustic, glowing electric piano, bluesy piano, windy mellotron, and wiry, twitchy lead guitar. Starting restrained the elements soon find themself spiritedly jamming out. For me this is what makes “Sam’s Hill” a great song as it feels like Matt Monsoor is expressing a certain sense of soul which has been totally neglected in the mechanical, cranked-out era of modern music.
Matt Monsoor doesn’t fail us in a vocal department either. Distinctive, intimate and incredibly atmospheric he gently draws us into the layers of music that increasing weave around him. Evoking feelings of peace, nature and reflection with the poetic lyrics, the whole performance is hauntingly sublime.
On the track Matt Monsoor adds: “Sam’s Hill is a song 25 years in the making—originally written after I moved back from Los Angeles to the Driftless region here in La Crosse, WI. First recorded on an 8-track Minidisc, it was part of my debut collection of songs, Comfortably Lost in Greenfield Vol. 1. Over the years, it’s remained a constant, and now it feels more at home than ever—fitting like a glove to the life we’ve built here.”
Immersive, intricate, intoxicating, “Sam’s Hill” is one hell of an artist statement. This is definitely a number for your record collection. Connect with Matt Monsoor: Bandcamp | Spotify | Soundcloud | YouTube | Facebook | Website