Steven R. Smith S/D

ulaan markhor owns

wow, dollar bin! that's good fortune. i've seen a couple more people talking about Steven R Smith and it makes me happy. Apparently he has no interest in playing shows, but I wonder if he could be convinced.

new one!
https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/light-in-dust-e-p

Ooh nice, gonna check this today! Also, good job on that reworked SR Smith tune random internet person :)

EP sounds pretty nice, with some Vuh-ish piano on the second side. I want that on vinyl.

It's raining out today and I'm listening to Slate Branches. Which is really kind of desert-y but then again so is California anymore.

his new thing (under the moniker Ulaan Khol) on soft abuse is totally great. this guy is fantastic.
http://www.softabuse.com/catalog.php?catno=SAB076

Yeah, he is a force of nature essentially. Glad he keeps putting stuff out there (as hard as it is to keep up).

yeah one of those guys who might have a higher profile if he stuck to one band name and put out just one thing a year. but whatever, he is great.

Seems comfortable with the process and being in control of what he does/when he does it. Nice example actually of someone who seems very much to be a "music first" kind of dude.

Yes! He's the best. Music first!

no! he needs a "brand advisor"!!!

[ jk ]

i'm a humongous fan and i definitely can't keep up. but it's okay.

It is there when you need it.

i mostly buy the vinyl. when there is vinyl.

In his own words -- when given the opportunity to speak he is generous and modest. <3

http://the-out-door.tumblr.com/post/135639253960/200-words-ulaan-khol

That Brute Heart record SRS mentions is excellent - closest to his Hala Strana work.

got ulaan markhor spiral horns on vinyl. so good. so much of his vinyl for sale on discogs and i don't think i've ever paid more than 15 dollars + shipping for a record. even the old stuff. best value for your dollar in my opinion.

new one
https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/the-great-unwinding

(spoiler: it's great)

of course it is! i figured i'd splurge on the cassette if i was already shelling out for the download and it's really nice!! there are decorative cards enclosed.

here's something funny -- apparently there's a ulaan markhor odds/sods collection and SRS annotated it. not at all surprisingly, he is funny and modest

Odds n’ sods collection of tracks written between 2010 and 2016. Compiled, re-worked, recorded, etc. Nov. 2015-Jan. 2016 at Worstward Studios, Los Angeles.

“Life on the Ground”: Trying to salvage parts...two different songs edited together, take the best bits and see what you get…a brief field recording of my son’s elementary school helped bridge the gap.

“Oso Varoun Ta Sidera”: This is a traditional song from Crete and it seems to me that this song is covered by just about everybody, maybe sort of like the “Morning Dew” or “Hey Joe” of Greece? I don't know, maybe not, but there sure are a lot of covers of this song floating around out there. This take is based on a version by the great Psarantonis.

“Property!”: This song is really just one riff with things piling up on top as the song continues on. I do this a lot…lazy songwriting is what that is.

“The Trembling Sea”: Not much to say about this song except that the guitar on the right is maybe getting a little too funky for my taste. Seemed like a good idea at the time. I was hoping to make it sound a bit like mid-70’s Bowie or something, or maybe as if one guy in the band wished he were in the Pop Group regardless of what everyone else in the group was doing.

“The Walking Maze”: Another one with just one riff throughout. There’s some clanking percussion in the background that’s kind of nice.

“Beyond is Also Here”: The main riff here is very close to a Lungfish song. Once I realized that, I even went back and finally tracked down the original song on their record and checked it out. It’s different enough that no one’s going to get sued, but still, let’s just say it’s an homage. Subconsciously, I was probably trying to rip them off and just didn’t do it well enough. I love Lungfish--it was bound to happen at some point anyway. The drum machine used on most of these tracks was also sort of a nod to Zomes (Asa from Lungfish’s other excellent project) so there you go.

“Spring”: The intro reminds me of Harmonia so I guess that’s one thing going for it. Oh yeah, the guitar solo sort of fell apart half way through and so it was just lopped off…more lazy songwriting/musicianship.

“In Threes”: The main part of this track was originally recorded for the second Ulaan Markhor record and was in the running all the way up until I had to send it off to be mastered and then I abruptly pulled it from the record. Something about the mix wasn’t right and I don’t think it really fit on that record anyway. Since then I’ve fixed a few things and tacked on the handheld tape intro which does feature a brief riff from “The Nocturnal in Daylight”, a song that did make it onto the second Ulaan Markhor record.

“Olive”: The main riff from this song also appears as a piano piece on an Ulaan Passerine 7” which will be released soon. I had totally forgotten that I even recorded that piano version until I heard the test pressing a couple weeks ago. Also, the middle part of this song--that quick chord change before the end roll out--is a straight rip-off of the chord progression from Richard Thompson’s “Calvary Cross”...I’ll cop to that.

-Steven R. Smith, March 12, 2016

new one

https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/moss-cathedral

Moss Cathedral is great. "Sanahin" especially has that "American Popol Vuh" vibe, makes me want to drive through the desert.

RIYL SRS but don't mind sparing use of vocals

http://threelobed.bandcamp.com/album/piedmont-apocrypha

Better known for their louder music but this has a really nice Smith-y vibe.

got an email about a new Ulaan Passerine https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/the-landscape-of-memory
two tracks, the first one starts out acoustic and then keeps adding and adding elements, changing etc
haven't listened to the second one yet

i love the way he builds his tracks -- he's so patient!

I look forward to giving this an ear later for sure.

There are some songs on the Walking Timebombs vs. Tribes of Neurot CD that are SRSy. Seriously. Don't hit me.

My these preview tracks are fine! Always different always the same.

https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/helm

"Holy Hitch" is the equal part In Through the Out Door sounds and Tender Prey sounds I needed.

I just bought the oddities comp + Helm because I'm catching up on things I've missed
sounds so good, as always
<3 Ulaan Markhor<3

New Ulaan Passerine

http://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/new-evening

new one, under his name! here is a review
http://magnetmagazine.com/2019/06/30/essential-new-music-steven-r-smiths-a-sketchbook-of-endings

I enjoy them all but this one didn't really stand out for me. Still, I'm always up for more.

There's another one out there... 43 Odes, which is SRS and Glenn Donaldson invoking a little bit of Jeweled Antler action but somehow sounding a lot more forward-looking now than it was then. So far I'm liking this best of all the recent releases.
https://eiderdownrecords.bandcamp.com/album/43-odes

There's also this one:
https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/collapsing-hymns

awesome that he's back

xxp this 43 Odes is great, thanks ET

Entire Worstward discography is on sale on Bandcamp - 50% off!

Ooh!! Thanks for the heads up!!

I liked the Jewelled Antler stuff - there were too many recordings to keep track of - the Franciscan Hobbies, Hala Strana, the Ivytree, the Birdtree, the Child Readers, Blithe Sons, the Skygreen Leopards, Coelacanth - but have to admit I haven't heard of Worstward recordings until now

Interview!! https://foxydigitalis.zone/2022/05/19/steven-r-smith-is-still-here/

New album today too, "Spring"
I'm enjoying it

this is very nice

https://worstward.bandcamp.com/album/triecade

(h/t Elvis Telecom)

Yup, he keeps on keeping on very well.

it reminds me of... the Dirty Three?

This one is quite Dirty Three-like. Of his releases since 2020, my favorites are the one's where he's incorporating horn and reed players. Last year's Olive and Ulaan Passerine - Dawn get me in particular. Was listening to Olive on a night walk, and found myself marveling "how is this simultaneously reminding me of Alman Bros and Penguin Cafe Orchestra?"