Sam Prekop’s self-titled debut album came out in 1999, but it doesn’t sound like 1999.
Not that I’m at all sure what 1999 sounds like – we’ve already learned about its status as the worst year in music – but the songs on Prekop’s first record could be from the 1960s, 2021, or just about anywhere in between.
Prekop was already a seasoned songwriter when he released this album; he’d been a member of several bands, most notably The Sea And Cake, through the late 80s and 90s. But this first solo effort feels like it floats somewhere between 2004 Broken Social Scene and 1965 Joao Gilberto, unaffected by everything that was actually happening in the music industry in 1999.
What makes this a beautiful song:
1. The percussion is light and almost samba-like.
2. The vocals are half-sung, as if he’s just putting together a demo track and will re-record them later.
3. The overall vibe is a laid-back lounging sound that could be drawn from Lemon Jelly’s back catalogue of sampled material.
Recommended listening activity:
Cleaning.