Hala Strana

Steven R. Smith has a long track record to add to his psych/folk resume, clocking time in Thuja, playing on a handful of Jeweled Antler projects like The Birdtree and The Blithe Sons, and of course his solo work as Hala Strana. The latter focusing more on raga structures than the fading folk and forest noise of the Antler and Thuja releases. This latest record Heave the Gambrel Roof splits time between interpretations of "standards" and his own dark mesh of drone and raga. The album twists down spectral back alleys caked with the dust from horse carts and heavy with the putrid humidity of late August. Smith has always had a talent for interpreting Eastern tones with the feel of authenticity and this latest album is no different. Its haunting and foreign but oddly accessible; feeling like a lost gem that you're lucky to have stumbled on.

Download:
[MP3] Hala Strana -Motra dhe Vllai
[MP3] Hala Strana-The Loss of What We Keep