"My Old Friend"

Earlier this week, Sam Amidon coyly Tweeted, "Got some news for y'all", which turned out to be that the folk singer and frequent Nico Muhly collaborator was signing to Nonesuch. "My Old Friend," the first single from the forthcoming Bright Sunny South (out May 14) followed swiftly after the announcement, and it's a pristine "Thank you for the days" tune. The mix is sun-warmed with acoustic guitar, capo'd high to give it a twinkling quality, edged by small cirrus clouds of electric lead. Amidon's distinctively burring voice and oddly elongated phrasing has always given his music a faint hint of otherworldliness; it's not one he plays up here, but it is still present, and it is the fingerprint on his glowing, affectionate music.