Sam Billen
Tokyo Sessions EP
Self-Released; 2009
Guest Contributor: Jen Broadwell
Any sucker for a soft berceuse and some poignant lyrics will instantly find pleasure in the beautiful narratives found within the Toyko Sessions EP from Sam Billen. These folky jingles are based on direct experiences and events from Billen’s time spent in Tokyo with his family. Aware of the setting that motivated the lyrics, most listeners will quickly and easily be able to formulate interpretations of their meanings. After all, the album’s most praiseworthy component is its lyrics and the stories they tell. The inexpensive acoustic guitar and laptop computer, which Billen disclosed as the two prominent tools utilized throughout the process of making this album, could take things only so far. His words did the rest.
He begins by painting a picture of Tokyo in “Heartbeat Of The City,” revealing what he sees when he observes the big city and how it makes him feel. Immersed in such vast, unfamiliar surroundings, he explains how he finally can conceive feeling “at home” in Tokyo, and then shares his new-found sense of belonging, accompanied by a few mere layers of acoustic finger-picking. He sings, “The heartbeat of the city / You can feel it on the street / There’s something about the people here / And the movement of their feet / I belong here / Feeling at home in such a big, big city.” The other songs find his discussing his sadness in having to leave the city to return home in the United States.
Billen’s songwriting is openly inspired and influences by Sufjan Stevens. Thus, Billen has, on occasion, found himself adopted by certain folks within Contemporary Christian Music, an adoption to which Stevens himself has acquiesced to some extent as well. Evidence of this first presented itself in 2003 with Billen’s Christian Rock radio hit “Never Felt This Way Before.” This song was a product of his former band, The Billions, where he and his brother Dan merged their skills and childhood inspirations to reach a modicum of popularity in hip Christian circles. After a few years of national touring, Sam branched out from The Billions and continued to build on his reputation as a multi-instrumentalist and a candid lyricist.
As in “Heartbeat Of The City,” much of the Tokyo Sessions EP refers to the city, with one exception, “The Interview.” The song displays a lot of Billen’s aforementioned reputable talent, as the subject faces an encounter that overwhelms his nerves: obviously, a job interview. “Start the questions / How will you fit with this company? / Then his hands start to shake with his trembling knees / What have you done before / To make us want you more? / He knew they were looking at the sweat on his forehead poor / Down into his bloodshot eyes.”
On “Just One Little Drink,” Billen seems to compare the components of Tokyo and the man portrayed in “The Interview.” Falling prey to destructive habits, the man takes a detour on his way towards building a better life. “It’s easy to get lost in the city / There’s so many places / To hide from the faces / that remind you of why you first came / Out for a drink.” Furthermore, when Billen sings, “He’s a heartless old man / With my world in his hands” I don’t think he’s referring to “The Man” – what’s heartless is the drink.
Chimes, sliding acoustics, and several instances of two- and three-part harmony rebounds combine to leave a delightful impression on my ears, especially when pared with female vocals, humming harmonies, and Billen’s own whispy folk-friendly voice. The Tokyo Sessions EP at large serves as a poetic and profound editorial with just the right amount of instrumental enhancement.
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Jen Broadwell is a music blogger from Houston, TX who runs the site Music Artiste. She enjoys attending local show and writing scene reviews and interviews. She also enjoys indie festivals and national indie shows and often posts her thoughts on such events, along with new music videos. Since her hobby doesn’t pay the bills. she works for the University of Houston in Development.