Sam Means & Calina
Part surf, part psychedelic,
part rock - meet “Calina.”
Sam Means looks like one of those dudes you wish you could have a beer with. Poking around the catacombs of the Internet, you’ll discover that he toured extensively with The Format, has written soundtracks, runs a merchandise company, has his hands in tech, and continues to release music today. He’s definitely a shining example of the Gig Economy - part wizard, part Renaissance guru, part businessman, but ultimately guided by art. He’s got a boatload of monthly listeners on the major streaming platforms, but we found him on Wavlake, the free site that allows supporters and fans to tip musicians and artists directly in Bitcoin, under the “Value4Value” lifestyle that is taking the industry by storm (and scaring the shit out of record companies and distributors).
I’ve never reviewed a writer as prolific as Sam. “Calina,” from his 2016 release entitled “10 Songs,” will take you on a journey of styles, guiding you with classic analog tones, a great melody and a unique twist at the end. Fire up the Orange and your Vox Continental, here we go:
It’s an all-start with the band on an f minor with just acoustic, bass, drums and vocals. Great tones, up tempo, no mystery. Sam’s got a gentle delivery, similar to the 60’s singer-songwriters, kind of reminds me of Tim Buckley. When the pre-chorus hits at 0:14, I know I’m in for a crazy ride. It’s a rare day when anyone in popular music uses a diminished chord of the flat 5 to pull you down to the tonic, and holy crap does it work beautifully! It’s accentuated with some luscious harmonies, killer distortion in my left speaker and a rising melody over the descending chords. The mix is dry and tight, nothing boastful - it’s exceptional. If you need a mix reference, think of the great work by the band Cake.
The payoff of the chorus is a short back and forth riff using the 5 on both ends, and it swings hard. You’d like for it to keep going, but when the second verse comes in with that beautiful vintage organ (please tell me it’s a Continental!), you don’t mind at all. Love how the harmony adds just enough depth to keep the track building. When the second pre-chorus hits with that killer progression, once again Sam does a great job of building the track with some hidden 8th note hits on the piano in my right speaker. We’re not even a minute into the song and we’ve hit a surf feel, some folk, and some psychedelic. This is way cool - the boys over at Lizard Brain Trust would dig this, that would be a hell of a double bill! With the second chorus, he gives us the progression twice (unlike the first time around). Oh, what a delightful tease this is turning into.
Now we hit an extended bridge that sounds like a beautiful commercial written by Brian Wilson. That descending progression kills me, and the production keeps everything solid. At 1:39, there’s an additional section with a stunning vocal breakdown that sets up another chorus. At this point, I’m going to stop ripping it apart into sections and just enjoy the ride. And just when you think it’s going to keep the tempo up and build into a massive climax, he takes it apart in a halftime feel to focus on the lyrical message of the track. Do yourself a favor and put this on repeat!
Judging by the quality of this song, I’m not surprised at all at how prolific Sam is. This is one of those songs that makes me wonder how in the hell he came up with those parts and that arrangement. It’s one of the most intelligent tracks I’ve listened to in years. It’s projects like this that make me excited about music.
Check it out on Wavlake and send Sam some Sats!
If you need to set up a Crypto Wallet, try this one for starters, Wallet of Satoshi.
Like & Follow Sam here:
Sucky streaming service you should ignore. ;)
In the spirit of Value4Value, if you like this blog and wish to support it, send your donation to phantompowermedia@getalby.com, thank you!