Paralanguage Will Samson

• 1Calescent06:15
• 2Beyond The Dust04:57
• 3Flowerbed05:09
• 4Triplet05:20
• 5Lacuna01:44
• 6The Human Mosaic04:45
• 7Ochre Alps06:29
• 8The Smallest Sliver06:11
• Total Runtime40:50

Info for Paralanguage

"Paralanguage" is Will Samson's fifth album and follows releases through Karaoke Kalk (Hauschka, Bill Wells) and Talitres (Destroyer), as well as a string of EPs and collaborative projects. The album features contributions from additional musicians including pedal steel and double bass from Ben Lester & Jeremy Boettcher from S. Carey (Ben also performed on Sufjan Stevens' album, Carrie & Lowell), electronics from Message To Bears and violin from Will Samson's long-term touring partner Beatrijs De Klerck, who has previously performed with A Winged Victory For The Sullen and Christina Vantzou.

Will describes the songs on 'Paralanguage' as being "largely inspired by dreams & meditative experiences (including floatation tanks, cold water swimming and a summer day spent in nature with a gentle dose of psilocybin truffles)." Alongside digital recording, Will used tape machines dating between 1970's - 90's found in flea markets and charity shops to make the album. "Some cassettes were soaked overnight in water and then dried out, to decay the more atmospheric sounds."

Will has previously toured with Kurt Vile, King Creosote, The Album Leaf, Marisa Nadler, Shearwater, S. Carey & played shows with Olafur Arnalds, Do Make Say Think, Laura Gibson, Timber Timbre + many more.

“A beautiful, hushed and contemplative record, the falsetto reminding you of Bon Iver, the intricacy and tenderness recalling kindred spirits such as Nils Frahm and Sufjan Stevens.” (Sunday Times)

"British musician Will Samson straddles a blurred line between ambient electronic composition and organic acoustic songwriting, occasionally falling deeper into one territory or another over his various albums, EPs, and collaborations. Not unlike the pastoral chamber pop of American artist S. Carey, Samson's glacial soundscapes feel deeply connected to the wonders of the natural world. After recording for a variety of European labels, he makes his debut for U.K. indie Wichita Recordings with Paralanguage, his fifth proper solo outing. Moving further away from the guitar-based introspection of his two previous albums, Samson takes a more ethereal approach here, relying heavily on lush, expansive backdrops of strings, piano, synths, and skittering electronic rhythms to frame his vocals, which he delivers almost entirely in an aching falsetto. He attributes the genesis of Paralanguage to his personal experiences with psilocybin, a psychedelic compound found in certain species of mushrooms. Indeed, the album has an unerringly tranquil, dreamlike quality to it, especially on standouts like "Flowerbed" and "Ochre Alps," as well as its two instrumental tracks, "Lacuna" and "The Human Mosaic," which appear just past the halfway point like a sort of intermission. Aside from returning collaborator Beatrijs Deklerck (violins) and a few others, the bulk of the music was played and recorded by Samson at his home studio in Brussels. From the very beginning, he establishes a slow-moving mode of crystalline delicacy and essentially sticks with it, almost to a fault, offering little in the way of surprises or major developments. As pretty as it is, Paralanguage suffers somewhat from its own shapelessness, drifting from one misty track to the next without leaving too deep an impression." (Timothy Monger, AMG)

Will Samson

Will Samson
is a British-born musician exploring the middle ground between ambient, electronic, experimental & acoustic music – using a variety of recording techniques, which often focus heavily on the use of old tape machines & analogue equipment.

Proceeding the release of Balance in 2012, Will Samson toured across the UK and Europe, sharing stages with Kurt Vile, Marissa Nadler, Shearwater, Pinback, Timber Timbre, Ólafur Arnalds, Do Make Say Think and many more.

He has since worked on a collaborative 12” with Tom Demac (It Grows Again), a solo EP (Light Shadows), music for short films, a full-length album with his electronic-leaning project ’Will Samson & Heimer’ – all the whilst performing drums as a touring member of Fenster (Morr Music).

"…running themes and riffs waft over songs so heartfelt, you dare not speak over them". Clash Magazine

"Awash with Eno-esque ambience, and recorded late at night to cassette – the glitches and hiss adding to the dusky atmosphere". 8/10 – Uncut

This album contains no booklet.