Der geheimnnisumwitterte und hierzulande noch recht unbekannte britische Musiker, der sein Projekt The Howard Hughes Suite nennt, bringt mit “High & Lonesome” ein neues Album heraus, das diesmal ganz auf den Klängen der Pedal Steel Guitar – zusammen mit der Bottleneck-Gitarre eines der Lieblingsinstrumente des Künstlers – basiert, heraus. Wer Americana und Country in ambient-dröhnener Form bisher v.a. mit Earth in Verbindung brachte, lernt hier eine ungleich sanftere und entrücktere Ausprägung derartiger Ideen kennen. Das Werk erscheint am 18. Februar digital beim Label The Slow Music Movement. Ein Teil der Einnahmen geht an die Umwelt-Organisation Client Earth.

“The Age of Virus. In a time of face masks and plexiglass; lockdowns and furloughs, I have no doubt that I was not alone in becoming even more stressed and anxious than usual. Though insomnia was stealing my nights, I was able to channel this exhaustion into something positive, and the results from this intense episode are here on ‘High and Lonesome’. Composed, recorded, and mixed in June 2020; the whole process became a cathartic and calming experience, and I hope this will be true for listeners of the album too.

Perhaps the very absence of sleep is the invisible, guiding hand that authored and informed these sonic dreamscapes and their ethereal narratives; an aural aid in the art of losing yourself, surrendering and letting go. Everything you hear on this album was created by using pedal steel guitar as the sole/soul sound source; at times unrecognisable, but always affecting. [...] To my ears, though, the ‘high lonesome sound’ is best conjured by the keening cry of the pedal steel; an aching, melancholic weeping, yet paradoxically remains uplifting.” (The Howard Hughes Suite)