Samuel Nicholson’s Reimagined “Black Dog Funeral” is Like a Bedroom Dub Indie Pop Daydream

Samuel Nicholson is about to release the Further Listening EP on July 10. The latter is a companion piece to the 2023 full-length Birthday Suit with songs that didn’t quite make the final album and others reworked to give them a distinctly different flavor. “Black Dog Funeral – Alt” takes the robust and expansive indie rock of the original with its giant hooks and boosts the low end so it has a dub-like feel but with Nicholson’s vocals standing clear in the warm yet enigmatic soundscape. Fans of Smog and Bill Callahan in general will appreciate this musical transformation and how the reverse delay gives some of the tones an otherworldly quality while the slightly blown out distortion adds a unique texture that feels wonderfully rough around the edges. It all makes the song have a more intimate feel like this was how the song hit before filters and editing were added to give it the kind of clarity one generally wants on a record released to a general public yet sometimes you prefer the raw and real deal in art. Listen to “Black Dog Funeral – Alt” on Spotify and follow Samuel Nicholson at the links below.