I don’t believe it. I am convinced, after running through the astonishing flood of full length albums Sam Green and the Time Machine released between the years 2013 and 2018, the Australian singer/songwriter pulled much of this material from a well-preserved backlog reaching back years if not decades. If he penned thirty five new songs each year during that five year period, over one hundred seventy tracks in all, Green deserves poker-faced consideration for experiencing one of the biggest creative runs in music history.
It doesn’t really matter, however. Even if Green wrote these nearly two hundred cuts over a quarter century, the results are memorable. Each of his eleven albums available on Spotify are distinguished by an unity of vision, skill, and restraint. Green’s writing never overplays its hand. You will hear no extended epics, no exhibitions of virtuoso flash – his work takes refuge in the fundamentals yet attempts rephrasing them in his own language.
It is present in his earliest Spotify release. 2013’s Players All Are We features several idiosyncratic cuts but “Have the Seasons Changed?” stands out. Green’s vocals are never pretty and few would prefer them so, but I associate acapella performances with singers who possess a classically lovely voice. Green proves the form is far more malleable than I ever thought and much of the track’s success comes from its melody.
“Carmella” is the preceding song’s opposite. They share instrumental similarities, without question, but this track showcases Green’s substantial gifts for pure pop songcraft. It isn’t difficult to imagine someone adapting this track to a variety of musical styles. Green injects the right amount of enthusiasm into the track’s chorus without risking an overwrought approach. His later albums on Spotify show no let-up in excellence.
“Drowning in a Sea of Life” provides another example of his songwriting potential. Little renovation is required to direct this track in a much different direction. It practically begs for a full-band arrangement. The success of this selection from 2017’s album Love, Love, Love hinges on its key imagery and Green’s vocal brio helps carry it over the top.
“Broken Hill” from 2018’s Baked Beans (432 Hertz) is one of his most popular Spotify selections for good reason. The musicality and delicacy set it apart from many of Green’s other fine performances and the song’s crucial imagery helps make it memorable. “I Carry the Load” from 2018’s Ten Parts of the Journey has one of Green’s best vocal outings on any release. He imbues the cut with the necessary gravitas that complements the ghostly pedal steel weaving through the track.
Sam Green’s songwriting and music occasionally misses its mark – no one can score every time they have the ball. Green and the Time Machine, nonetheless, are responsible for one of the most impressive outpourings in modern popular music and, even at its most insignificant, produce first rate entertainment for longtime and first time listeners alike. His most popular songs give us a great way of sampling his talents before immersing ourselves in his lengthy discography.
Claire Ubelacker