Browse by Artist: SMITH, STEVEN R.

Artist:	SMITH, STEVEN R.
Title:	Crown of Marches
Label:	CATSUP PLATE
Format:	CD
Price:	$13.00
Catalog #:	CPR 722CD

"Steven R. Smith is best known for his participation in Thuja and Hala Strana as well as his contribution to many Jewelled Antler projects. In the spirit of Keiji Haino, Popol Vuh, Dead C, and Flying Saucer Attack, Crown of Marches takes the possibilities of the basement psychedelic guitar excursion and fashions something very new and inspiring -- a piece alternately beautiful and overwhelming. Crown of Marches begins with a low rumble of feedback and speaker hum; a lazy Eastern melody pokes through the haze and establishes a strong contrast with the rumbling. This is the basis upon which the piece will expand and contract over the next 40 minutes. At times the feedback rumble drops away and relatively bright guitar lines come to the fore. At other times faint keyboard lines or bowed cymbals add texture and additional gravitas to the proceedings, only to be pushed away with the wail of distant guitars and more distortion -- like the heaviest rock with the skeleton removed." Limited stock.

Artist:	SMITH, STEVEN R.
Title:	Owl
Label:	DIGITALIS
Format:	CD
Price:	$12.00
Catalog #:	ACE 007CD

"Steven R. Smith's name has become more commonplace over the last half-decade, and that's a very good thing. From his monumental works as Hala Strana to being a prominent contributor to many Jewelled Antler projects, his sound is distinct. This is the first brand new solo album from Steven R. Smith since last year's epic The Anchorite. On here, you'll find some of the things you expect with a new Steven R. Smith record: sparse, angular walls of his trademark guitar playing with embellishments from an array of acoustic instrumentation. But there's a new twist here: vocals. Yep, vocals. Smith unleashes his voice on Owl and does so in such an impressive fashion that it leaves one asking 'what took so long'? Owl is full of desolate but hopeful aural landscapes. There's a tinge of regret and longing in his voice when he belts out the words, 'this is the world we know...' And in those six words, Smith sums up what Owl brings to the table. There is something recognizable about this terrain; the paint is just worn down enough to expose the raw wood underneath. But carefully placed in each corner, in each nook is something new that breathes life into the familiar. This is a bold step for someone who has already accomplished a great deal, and leaves us listeners without a clue as to what will happen next. This is magic, indeed."

Artist:	SMITH, STEVEN R.
Title:	Cities
Label:	IMMUNE
Format:	LP
Price:	$14.00
Catalog #:	IMMUNE 005LP

"American multi-instrumentalist Steven R. Smith has been releasing a steady stream of solo records for well over a decade as well as playing in various improvisational groups including Thuja, Hala Strana, and most recently Ulaan Khol. This music has ranged from sparse solo guitar improvisations to Hala Strana's reworkings of Eastern European traditional folk tunes to the dense, psychedelic fuzz guitar workouts of Ulaan Khol. On his latest full-length solo release, Cities, Smith combines the composed with the improvisational and the result is a beautiful and desolate collection of songs evoking a crumbling landscape reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road or the films of Hungarian director Béla Tarr. Cities was recorded in Smith's Worstward Studios on all analog equipment and features a wide variety of instrumentation including fretted spike fiddle, baritone psaltery, electric and nylon stringed guitars, cello, melodica, electric piano and organ. Musically, Smith's work over the years could be summed up as a struggle to contain a series of opposites: light and darkness, sorrow and joy, despair and hope. It is this balance, or at least the effort to create or maintain this balance, that informs Cities as well. Smith has recorded for numerous labels including Important Records, Catsup Plate, Soft Abuse, Emperor Jones, Last Visible Dog, Jewelled Antler, Digitalis and Darla. Cities is his first release for Immune Recordings."

Artist:	SMITH, STEVEN R.
Title:	The Anchorite
Label:	ROOT STRATA
Format:	CD
Price:	$15.00
Catalog #:	RS 024CD

2008 release. "Originally released in 2006 on Important Records as a limited run LP in their ongoing Arts & Crafts Series, Root Strata is proud to present the reissue of The Anchorite, a dazzling jewel in Smiths substantial discography. Performed live to two track with the aide of tape loops and prerecorded takes, the music maintains a drifting, painterly quality that easily evokes the American west as much as the European east which Smith so lovingly mines for his Hala Strana recordings. Sepia toned and tinged with a luminous distortion, The Anchorite, as the name suggests, is reserved, pulled back and solemn, some kind of hermetic prayer for the end of the world. Beautifully repackaged with new artwork in a heavy black & white gatefold CD case with offset printing."

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