Week 122: “Sa Sa Samoa” by Korallreven

Raise your hand if you have ever asked yourself, “…gee, if Enya owned a nightclub in the basement of a Cathedral in Nairobi, what kind of music would they play?”

Anybody?

No?

Okay, but if you ever do ask yourself that, remember that the answer is “Sa Sa Samoa” by the Swedish ambient duo Korallreven.

What makes this a beautiful song:

1. The haunting voices. Hard as it is to believe, the singing on this track is not a choir, but one person, layered many times over. Her name is Julianna Barwick, and she specializes in the type of music that probably plays on repeat at the entrance to heaven.

2. The echoing synths. Especially the one at 0:39, which sounds like a robotic angel-cat.

3. The slowly building drums. Like in this song, the percussion builds slowly, so as not to disturb the softness of the song’s opening. But by the time you get to the end, it’s enough to get everyone in Enya’s nightclub dancing.

Recommended listening activity:

Sticking glow-in-the-dark stars to the ceiling of your bedroom.

Buy it here.