Coinciding: Nine Precisely Beautiful Songs from Sam's Falling
By Rod Drown
Coinciding, the third CD from Vancouver duo Sam’s Falling, is a very fine collection of nine precisely beautiful songs. As usual with Sam’s Falling, which is made up of Cynthia Hall and Pim Bouwens, the songs are subtle in their melodies and often deeply meaningful in their lyrics. There is a range and radiance in Cynthia Hall’s singing and there is finesse and very high production values in Pim Bouwens’ instrumentation. All these things combine to give the world an album to be remembered and cherished. If I had the money I would give a copy to each of my friends!
Many of the songs contain, either directly or by implication, references to the realities of action and connection at a distance. The God of Light is not just in Heaven but is behind the mountain, around the corner and in the hours of our hearts. The first song, According to Universe, after an opening chant of "Hey Yeah, Hey Yeah", states this interconnection and goes to the heart of the CD in these lines
That is why
According to Universe
A moment fills the world over
And why
According to our humanness
Bodies drifting in and out of fire and earth
And air and water is streaming
We’re dancing out loud
According to life
Cynthia Hall always an enchanting singer
Hall’s voice, as always, is enchanting. Yet, in this CD, it seemed even more flexible and vast in its capabilities than in the duo’s previous CDs. Intrigued by my perception, I asked Cynthia Hall about her vocal range and wondered if it was possible to increase the capability of one’s voice. Her reply:
"The way I see it, the human body's capacity is infinite, in terms of our experience of one lifetime. The human voice is a "naturally perfect" instrument that we "learn" how to use. When a person sings well, they know intuitively, as well as learn and continue to learn, how to use this instrument. Coordination, insight, discovery, practice are all elements needed to continue to know this instrument. The results of these elements are an expansion of the vocal range, increased resonance and beauty in tone, increased singing ease, and a wonderful feeling of expression."
In my opinion, the four qualities that Cynthia Hall mentions are found perfectly expressed in the next song, Quarrels. In it, she lets loose with her absolutely marvelous and finely versatile instrument! This is one of the songs all of us should listen very closely to and also consider carefully the arrangement.
If the motion of an ocean
can make the ruthless cry
sending all the waves of ancient
tears, a kiss goodbyeWell I still remember days gone by
living on innocence was
the only way to blur my mind
the days of yesterday
I wave goodbye.Do we know the thorns of love
these quarrels are killing us.
The title song of the collection contains some very fine guitar work by Pim. On this song the melodies are beautiful and movingly nuanced, especially in the ending bridge. On the basis of this song alone, this CD should be nominated for a Juno Award as the best CD in its category.
The other side of quarrels?
Working on behalf of WarChild Canada
This song, which is dedicated to youth suffering in wars the world over, has fueled Sam’s Falling’s fundraising efforts for that cause. Over the last two years, Sam's Falling has produced two successful fundraising events for WarChild Canada as a result of the song "Coinciding".
Cynthia Hall: "The song was written as our response to war atrocities witnessed and suffered by children. We plan to involve ourselves more in the future to this cause and similar causes. The song, which is the title song of the CD, has started this road for us."
In addition, she told me, they had chosen "Coinciding .." as the title of the album, because it represented several things, as well as the song. For her, it also represents that something can happen in one place, and a completely different [yet connected] something [else] can happen elsewhere at one given time. There is, many times, a connection of all things that may, on first or even second glance, appear unrelated and at times even opposites.
The design of the CD cover emphasizes this "coinciding". In the CD’s cover picture, the two artists (who have been together for over a decade) look to be apart and disconnected. Cynthia, in the foreground, looks off to her right and there seems to be a look of vague concern on her face. In the background, Pim looks off into space with what is commonly known as the "thousand mile" gaze. Again, as Cynthia says, "Everything about Pim and I are opposite, and yet we are connected and in agreement. That connection is graphically illustrated on the back photo of the lyric booklet." This time Cynthia is draped over Pim and their closeness is very evident.
Cynthia again: "We "coincide". I would like to extend that "coinciding" to my entire small world."
The lyrics of the last two verses:
You open your hands
wishing a touch
to lift you from there
you’re hurting so much
you’re screaming
for the horrors to end
and then all is done.Coinciding with the tone of your heart
inviting me to lessen your part
in the ugliness you’ve had to bear
you will live on
'cause I care.
Images unique and beautiful
Graphically, throughout the lyric booklet, each one of the songs is accompanied by a unique and sometimes fanciful design. For example, sort of behind the lyrics of Coinciding are a series of four heart-shaped teardrops that lie behind the lyrics of this song. Cynthia did the art design for the CD cover. The four graphics behind the CD’s title song resemble two things at the same time – teardrops and hearts and I see, via a clockwise rotation of the images, that they fade as one looks at them in that order.
Cynthia Hall: "I created the design on the top left first. Then I copied that design and faded it to create the top right design. I called these two images "My Tears". It is my way of saying that tears fade in time. Pim added the mirror image below. He saw that the tears were "broken hearts" if inverted. I hadn't seen this myself. He made the broken hearts fade as well."
nuanced and lovely design
Probably one of the best love lyrics I have ever read is found in Joy World. They certainly embody the joyous communion between lovers:
Underneath the layers of laughter
runs a wildly open sea
and in the faces of your rapture
lies the depths of your blue honestyCrazy but I feel I’m shifting
underneath the layers of my skin
crazy but I feel I’m lifting
and you’re within my heartbeatI’m allowed to go there with you
clinging on to a strange humanity
I’m the other half of your intentions
you’re the other half to me
That Pim and Cynthia are a fine team is evidenced by the kind of team effort that they put into the design of the CD cover and lyric booklet. For example, underlying the other songs, Joy World, Out of the Sun, Quarrels, His Kindest Words, According to Universe and Understand are designs that look, respectively, like they are suggestive of tides, the moon and the connection between the two, and even sea creatures. It appears that the creative process for the started long before the ideas for the CD’s cover were even considered. It is almost as if a context or ambience was being laid down. Cynthia Hall explained how the graphics came to be.
"All of the graphics were designed through "play", and not for any specific purpose. They were designed in the fall of 2008, long before ideas for the "Coinciding .. " CD cover and booklet started. Pim liked the little designs and gave them a pretty prominent role in the CD design."
Valuable contributions by Tony Kerr, Samuel Sixto and Mike Kennedy
The song Understand is simply structured but the playing is gorgeous. The interplay between Pim on guitar and the bass work by Tony Kerr is really memorable. It is the closest thing on the CD to an outright rock song – especially in the last bridge.
Pim on the contribution of Tony Kerr:
"Tony [has been] performing with Sam's Falling for over 2 years now and was a natural choice to play Bass guitar on a number of songs on "Coinciding ..".
Two other musicians contributed to the creative success of this CD: pianist Samuel Sixto and bassist Mike Kennedy. Pim Bouwens told me that recording these songs had been a very organic process and that he had really enjoyed bringing in some other musicians to give a different perspective to some of the parts.
Pim on the two artists:
"I’ve known Samuel for a while now, I've recorded/produced two of his CD's and was very familiar with his playing. Samuel is classically trained and was the perfect choice to play piano on Ocean. I've got to know Mike through an artist I'm producing and enjoyed his playing."
More nuance and beauty
Out of the Sun outstanding
In an album of excellent songs, it is hard to single out even one for special praise. But let me name one: Out of the Sun. For me, this may be the most beautiful song Pim and Cynthia have ever created. Cynthia sings these lyrics with deep conviction and meaning.
You must be out of the sun
if you mistook the moon for a faded lover
it’s a sweet thinking soul
that understands how all the waters flow
and knows the wavering of a stoneYou must got into a fog
to think that one can love without another
save you from your wasteful crimes
and wrap you in a restful mind
And the final magnificently sad verse:
Lift the haze, free from desire
lift it up for those to come
turn it into a loving fire
make it up for those to come
be the world we can rely on
hold it up for those to come
our world is heavy in our hands now.
Discussing Out of the Sun, Pim described it as "the toughest…because I learned to play new instruments, Mandolin and Cajun Box".
The latest news about Sam’s Falling is that they are going on tour in Holland from April 21, 2010. Tony Kerr will join them on May 1st until the 23rd. After that Cynthia and Pim will stay in Holland for at least the remainder of the summer of 2010.
