I’m about to turn you on to a pretty awesome musician. But first, it’s worth telling how I found out about him. One word: MAGIC.

Somehow, this guy’s whole album just showed up on my computer. I didn’t download it — in fact, I’d never even heard of him. But when I found the folder in my “downloads,” I went ahead and listened… and I’m really glad I did.

The guy’s name is Sam Amidon, he’s an American on an Icelandic record label. He’s not a songwriter, so far as I can tell; rather, he takes old folk songs and sings/arranges/records them in a very sparse and spooky sort of neomodern way. There are a number of good tracks on “All is Well” — yes, I think it’s worth clicking on the link, which will get you to him on iTunes so you can purchase. But don’t take my word for it — here’s “Little Johnny Brown,” the least sparse and most haunting.

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Tags: Sam Amidon, spooky folk

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