Thirty years into his storied career, Jewelled Antler veteran Steven R. Smith remains one of the most distinctive guitarists in American music. Whether observing the flora and fauna or the ruins of imaginary cities, Smith’s music is a form of witness. His newest album, Olive, featuring Kate Wright of Movietone and a micro-orchestra of horns and woodwinds, seasons his funereal post-rock with whimsy and brightness.
Category: Steven R. Smith
Ulaan Passerine :: Sun Spar
With a vast discography going back to the mid-1990s, Steven R. Smith is a man of many monikers — he’s released music as Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol, Ulaan Markhor, Ulaan Passerine, Ulaan Janthina. Don’t stress. Whatever name he goes by, Smith is nothing if not consistent. He’s an expert craftsman, a maker of (usually) guitar-based instrumentals that build wide-open sonic vistas upon sturdy rhythmic foundations. While Smith is a more than capable one-man band, on the latest Ulaan Passerine LP, Sun Spar, he drafts some outside talent to fill in the frame.