Singer-songwriter Sam Levin recently released “Bookmark.” The track is from his forthcoming third album, A General Air of Regret, slated to drop February 27.
Now 17-years-old, Levin is something of a prodigy, releasing his first single when he was 10-years-old. He began playing guitar and piano when he was 5, followed by composing his first song at 7. His sound, which has been described as “modern folktronica,” and earned analogies to Bon Iver, Courtney Barnett, LCD Soundsystem, and Sufjan Stevens, blends elements of alt-rock, pop, and jazz into smooth, irresistible confections.
On his previous albums, I Am and Frame of Mind, delivered songs based on personal experiences. With A General Air of Regret, he decided to travel a different direction, presenting musical depictions of feelings rather than tunes apropos feelings.
“Bookmark,” according to Levin, “Embodies the feeling of being somewhere new, but where you’re not alone – so it’s not a scary new, it’s just new. Like the experience of looking at art or trying a food for the first time.”
Opening on an elegantly gorgeous acoustic guitar, “Bookmark” flows into a velvety soft rock tune flavored with hints of alt-pop. A contagious rhythm, composed of a reverberating bass line and crisp drums, provides the music with a selfless energy, as Levin’s evocative voice infuses the tune with reflective colors and buttery textures.
Deliciously dreamy, shadowy vocal harmonies add resonant depth to Levin’s lead vocal. The effect is akin to protective coloration tinctured with ozone-like timbres exuding scrumptious residual vitality.
Harmonic shifts, surfacing hues, and Levin’s imaginative tonal modulations give the song scintillating points of sonic luminescence, both tantalizing and lingering, like smoke hanging in the air one second, and then pressed by a breeze the next second.
Catchy lyrics full of delicate force depict the vagaries of life.
“I’m wasting, wasting, wasting away / Like watching, waiting, praying for rain / Like a bookmark in a novel that you hate.”
“Bookmark” is excellent, rife with tasty lyricism atop gentle harmonics. With this charming tune, Sam Levin demonstrates his incredible flair.
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