Steven R. Smith S/D

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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.

grandavis, Thursday, 3 December 2015 17:22 (eight years ago) link

Yes! He's the best. Music first!

La Lechuza (La Lechera), Thursday, 3 December 2015 17:52 (eight years ago) link

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

tylerw, Thursday, 3 December 2015 18:00 (eight years ago) link

[ jk ]

tylerw, Thursday, 3 December 2015 18:00 (eight years ago) link

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

scott seward, Thursday, 3 December 2015 18:24 (eight years ago) link

It is there when you need it.

grandavis, Thursday, 3 December 2015 18:46 (eight years ago) link

i mostly buy the vinyl. when there is vinyl.

scott seward, Thursday, 3 December 2015 19:29 (eight years ago) link

two weeks pass...

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

La Lechuza (La Lechera), Monday, 21 December 2015 14:22 (eight years ago) link

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

juggulo for the complete klvtz (bendy), Monday, 21 December 2015 17:13 (eight years ago) link

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.

scott seward, Monday, 4 January 2016 15:49 (eight years ago) link

one month passes...

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

(spoiler: it's great)

moans and feedback (Dinsdale), Sunday, 28 February 2016 22:12 (eight years ago) link

two weeks pass...

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

La Lechuza (La Lechera), Monday, 14 March 2016 00:45 (eight years ago) link

six months pass...

new one

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

cookware regression (Dinsdale), Friday, 23 September 2016 20:07 (seven years ago) link

two months pass...

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

rudy githyanki (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Monday, 28 November 2016 21:10 (seven years ago) link

eight months pass...

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.

The Man Who Saw The Midwife (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Wednesday, 9 August 2017 11:28 (six years ago) link

three months pass...

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!

weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Friday, 17 November 2017 19:48 (six years ago) link

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

Ned Raggett, Friday, 17 November 2017 19:58 (six years ago) link

three months pass...

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

my dreams in the hell-pits (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Saturday, 17 February 2018 06:53 (six years ago) link

three months pass...

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

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

Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Friday, 15 June 2018 17:45 (five years ago) link

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

Mungolian Jerryset (bendy), Friday, 15 June 2018 17:51 (five years ago) link

one month passes...

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

weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Sunday, 29 July 2018 21:38 (five years ago) link

six months pass...

New Ulaan Passerine

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

blood, loud screaming and nudity (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 5 February 2019 06:15 (five years ago) link

four months pass...

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

weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Monday, 1 July 2019 13:35 (four years ago) link

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

pomenitul, Monday, 1 July 2019 13:40 (four years ago) link

two weeks pass...

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

Elvis Telecom, Saturday, 20 July 2019 05:14 (four years ago) link

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

Dinsdale, Saturday, 20 July 2019 07:18 (four years ago) link

awesome that he's back

Blues Guitar Solo Heatmap (Free Download) (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Saturday, 20 July 2019 14:54 (four years ago) link

xxp this 43 Odes is great, thanks ET

Skip Spence None the Richer (sleeve), Saturday, 20 July 2019 15:33 (four years ago) link

one year passes...

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

Elvis Telecom, Thursday, 22 October 2020 22:27 (three years ago) link

Ooh!! Thanks for the heads up!!

weird woman in a bar (La Lechera), Thursday, 22 October 2020 22:57 (three years ago) link

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

Dan S, Friday, 23 October 2020 01:03 (three years ago) link

one year passes...

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

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

Piggy Lepton (La Lechera), Friday, 20 May 2022 17:54 (one year ago) link


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