In One Place at a Time

by Sam Miller

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BenPujara Sam Miller has a gift for emotion, melody, and movement. Each song feels like a fully-realized opera in under 3 minutes. Pure, addicting chamber pop. Favorite track: Marionette.

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8

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Includes unlimited streaming via the free Bandcamp app, plus high-quality downloads of Seriously Dark Clouds, Satie: Sports et divertissements, Lilies, Piano Works, Phonometrographer, Bach, Human Arpeggiator, In One Place at a Time, and You Need To Hear It. , and , .

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1.	How Long 02:55	lyrics	buy track
Was it such a sin That you can’t make right again How long does it go on Before the guilt is gone You’re all alone in this Cell of selfishness You still feel how it felt To watch it all go to hell You’re the only one Alone in what you’ve done Oh, how long Before the guilt is gone You’re stuck in what you built Behind bricks of guilt And she is waiting still Back where your flowers wilt You’re the only one Alone in what you’ve done Oh, how long Before the guilt is gone You’re the only one Alone in what you’ve done Oh, how long Before the guilt is gone
2.	The Stage of Aging 02:38 video	lyrics	buy track
We’re in a lonely stage of aging If we don’t have someone by now For too long we kept them waiting Now we’re the odd ones in the crowd You’ll find a person who is perfect for yourself Someone who’s not like everybody else Unless you’re mistaken, they’re already taken, or love gives up on you In a quiet part of town They’re all home with each other Out here we listen through the noise But we don’t hear one another You’ll find a perfect person for yourself Someone who’s not like everybody else Unless you’re mistaken, they’re already taken, or love gives up on you Unless you’re mistaken, already taken, and love gives up on you Love gives up on you
3.	For What It Is 02:57	lyrics	buy track
For what it is, for what it is They see the starlit sky like a crystal ball From the center of it all, you’re at the center of it all They’ll say you’re heaven sent, every chance is meant As sacred as your sign, as essential as your scent Strangers playing cards tell you how you are What you want to hear all throughout the year You need no other reason to know that I’ll be true All that I believe in is you I see the starlit sky for what it is A beautiful abyss that someday we’re going to miss From the palm of my hand reads an aging man With no mystical escape from his inevitable fate Strangers playing cards tell you how you are What you want to hear all throughout the year You need no other reason to know that I’ll be true All that I believe in is you You need no other reason to know that I’ll be true All that I believe in You’re all that I believe in All that I believe in is you
4.	Marionette 04:17	lyrics	buy track
Marionette, my marionette Does what I want I do what it does Marionette, my marionette Hanging on a string My ghost’s machine May you forget, my sad silhouette I let go to fall into you I start to feel like a figment of imagination Barely attached to anything It kinda seems like I’m living someone else’s dream What’s good for them is good for me Marionette, my marionette We’ll be so happy out of body I start to feel like a figment of imagination Barely attached to anything It kinda seems like I’m living someone else’s dream What’s good for them is good for me Marionette, my marionette Hanging on a string My ghost’s machine Hanging on a string Hanging on a string
5.	By the Time 02:59 video	lyrics	buy track
By the time that I made it I’d gone too far Ask the wrong question, forget who you are I would’ve given up if only I knew How far it would take me away from you By the time that I made it I still wasn’t sure Had too many chances to know who you were I would’ve given up if I could see through This unrealistic picture of you I would’ve given up By the time that I made it I’d gone too far Ask the wrong question, forget who you are I would’ve given up if only I knew How far it would take me away from you I would’ve given up if I could see through This unrealistic picture of you
6.	You Do You 02:24 video	lyrics	buy track
You do your own thing You do your own thing When your heart swings You’re following You know that it’s true You are what you do There’s no one like you No one like you You do your own thing You do your own thing When your heart swings You keep following You’d rather be yourself than anyone else If it wasn’t true how could anyone love you You’re better at being yourself than anyone else If it wasn’t true how could I love you You know who you are You know who you are You know who you are You know who you are You know that it’s true There’s no one like you You know that it’s true There nobody like you You know who you are You do your own thing You know who you are You do your own thing You know who you are When your heart swings You know who you are You’re following
7.	Track Fire Delay 03:18	lyrics	buy track
Cold train tracks winding through stacks of shacks and who knows who Broken glass in garbage bags What do they do with all this trash No one knows where it goes It’s out of our hair so we don’t care They take it away on trash day Here comes the train Screeching stops from block to block Down the skyline, over rooftops Stacks of shacks, packs of rats Rattle along on rickety slats Over the bridge and underground On the train we’re safe and sound Down to a stop you can’t get off What’s with the wait Track fire delay Track fire delay Track fire delay We’re in our own way Track fire delay Breaking backs to stay on track The snow turns black as sidewalks crack Chasing tails, leaving trails Of trash in the way Track fire delay Track fire delay We’re in our own way Track fire delay If you see something say something (and now we’re running late) If you see something say something (and now we’re running late) If you see something say something (and now we’re running late) If you see something say something (and now we’re running late)
8.	What You See Through Is See Through 02:42	lyrics	buy track
What You See Through Is See Through What You See Through Is See Through Take off your glasses to see the scratches You got to get back to look at it It’s so close to you it’s out of view Too close to you to see it too Reaching out for someone else To show you what you can’t see Yourself To try and free your mind of misery You got to get back to see things differently What You See Through Is See Through What You See Through Is See Through Take off your glasses to see the scratches You got to get back to look at it It’s so close to you it’s out of view Too close to you to see it too Reaching out for someone else To show you what you can’t see Yourself So let some light through You block the view behind you You’re in your own way A shadow play What You See Through Is See Through What You See Through Is See Through Take off your glasses to see the scratches You got to get back to look at it
9.	The Moment 02:24	lyrics	buy track
From day to day if feels the same Standing in the way of change Everywhere you’ve ever been You’re only where you are now Today, Today, it’s always today Here in the shade of grey Everyone you’ve ever been Has left you with who you are now The moment, the moment is already gone. The moment, the moment is already gone. (we’re not what we were) The moment, the moment is already gone. (we’re not what we were) The moment, the moment. Is going, going gone. Going, going gone Going, going gone Going, going gone Going, going gone Going, going gone Going, going gone Going, going gone
10.	See It Through 02:59	lyrics	buy track
Why would you want to have what you’ve had before I’d like to think I’m still onto the new Now see it through My point of view This body is all you feel and you’re closed off inside of it An empty stare into space, care to compare us Now see it through This point of view I see it through The same state of affairs An empty stare into space Closed off to everyone, it’s all you have The same fate of despair A lonely stare into space All these are reflections of what you want We’ve seen it through This point of view Now onto the new Why would you want to have what you’ve had before I’d like to think I’m still onto the new
11.	In One Place at a Time 02:45	lyrics	buy track
On an airplane taking flight Separating you and I Looking down one everyone Slowly melting into one You can only be in one place at a time Sailing through the sky Seen with the naked eye We’re all too small to see And difficult to please Back in a city that doesn’t need me I’m free, free as the breeze Over the trees and iced-over streets You can only be in one place at a time In one same frame of mind Where we are, now where we were It’s hard to tell just what came first You can only be in one place at a time You can only be in one place at a time In one place at a time You can only be in one place at a time In one place at a time You can only be in one place at a time Sailing through the sky Separating you and I

about

Sam Miller is a man of unique talents. A rare musical soul who thrives in our modern day of synthesizers and microchips, but who would be equally content playing Bach fugues in a cathedral filled with orangutans. His musical output is driven by curiosity and exploration, noticeably lacking the self-aggrandizing spirit of so much pop music.

From the mysterious deserts of New Mexico, Miller is at once a songwriter, composer, producer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is a master storyteller, who walks a tightrope pitched between the beauty of life’s complexities and the abyss of the subconscious. His lyrics grow more dynamic and intriguing with each listen. An elegant love song is simultaneously a riddle that would tickle the ghost of Lewis Carroll.

With his most recent album, In One Place at a Time, Miller slyly sings the voice of your inner thoughts. No paradox is safe. He reflects on regret, lost opportunities, and love, but does not dwell on any one idea too long. Soon enough he is pointing out the pointlessness of such fixations. “By the time that I made it, I’d gone too far,” he laments. Keep moving. The moment is passing. You are still in it.

One of the most impressive measures of Miller’s writing is how the melodic content of the songs carry the weight of his lyrics. His attention to detail in arrangement and production creates fully realized songs that arrive at a clear destination. There is a confidence and thoughtfulness that is applied to each composition. Clever melodic hooks manage to echo in your head for days, allowing the depth of the lyrics to slowly unfurl in your thoughts. Miller’s deep and resonant voice evokes Scott Walker, Nick Cave, and even Johnny Cash. At its climax In One Place at a Time is soaring chamber pop akin to Devotchka, at its most introspective it is indie pop held together by synths and drum machines. With a close listen, there are hints of americana, traditional country, psychedelia, and even exotica.

It has been five years since Sam Miller’s last release. He took his time to collect his thoughts and fully actualize his compositional power. With In One Place at a Time, he has managed to catch up to himself. On the album’s closing title track Miller reflects while flying in a jumbo jet, “You can only be in one place at a time.” Pay close attention and you will find an innovative writer, brilliant thinker, and a gracious guide reminding you it’s never too late to be present.

credits

released November 29, 2019

Matt Badger (drums, tracks 4-11), Shenandoah Davis (vocals, tracks 4-11), Chris Cunningham (electric guitar, tracks 6 and 7), David Schripsema (trumpet, omnichord and vocals on track 7, and drums on track 9), Rebecca Huffman (violin, tracks 4 and 8), Eva Avenue (vocals, tracks 4, 6 and 7) & Anton Patzner (violin, track 2).

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about

Sam Miller Oregon

Sam Miller is an American multi-instrumentalist singer/songwriter, composer and producer. He has released two full-length lyrical albums, You Need To Hear It (2014) and In One Place at a Time (2019), along with several instrumental albums including, Bach, Human Arpeggiatior (2020), Phonometrographer (2020), Piano Works (2020), and Lilies (2022). ... more