Spoonuel (aka Sam Poon) is a New York City based singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Sam’s music appeared on The Static Dive before. He and his girlfriend/collaborator Chloe Berry have been two of my personal favorites ever since they sent me their song “Everyday” back in September. As a matter of fact, at the time of this writing they each have songs at the top of the Deep Indie Dive playlist. From their home studios in the city’s trendy Hell’s Kitchen neighborhood, Sam and Chloe have been producing a steady stream of excellent Indie Pop records.
Sam’s latest is the brand new single, “A Manic Hello.” On the track he continues his wildly creative and cerebral adventures into experimental lo-fi Pop. Cuing up a Spoonuel song is like tuning into a radio station from some parallel universe in which popular music took a divergent path somewhere in the mid-70’s. It is a world where lush instrumentation and complex melodic structure never fell out of fashion. The sound isn’t retro. Musically it sits somewhere out of time.
Lyrically and thematically however, Spoonuel is very much of the present day. Over a smooth jazzy electric piano he sings “I feel empty inside, even though I’m surrounded by the people that I love.” The sentiment and style together would probably sound disingenuous coming from an artist in any other era. However, somehow this convergence of easy-listening groove and self-aware emotional crisis is everything 2020.
The composition and performance on “A Manic Hello” remind me of Todd Rundgren’s brilliant early seventies solo work. With its melodic bass line, cool jazzy keys and earnest, vulnerable vocals the song has the same “smart and sensitive guy alone in a studio” feel of masterpieces like “Runt” and “Todd.” There is nothing ironic in Sam’s 70’s vibe. This is an artist who cares deeply about the song he is singing, and it is really beautiful music.
Check out “A Manic Hello” below, and follow the links below to connect with the artist. Stay up to date on all of his current and future projects.
Connect:
Listen to Spoonuel on the Deep Indie Dive playlist
