On the next installment of Latitudes, Angel Archer indulges us in extended rituals from their eerily lit corner of kosmische psychedelia and ambient soundscaping. Henry Birdsey visits from the East Coast to perform microtonal drone hymns for lap steel guitar.
Henry Birdsey is a multi-instrumentalist, composer, and recording engineer from Vermont (currently based in New Haven, CT) working primarily with pedal steel + lap steel, microtonal organ, violin, and homemade instruments. His music is often drone-based and involves microtonal tunings, the amplification of metal, and fragments of church music.
Angel Archer performs a contemplative, dark-edged brand of psychedelia. Featuring Brian Lucas and Sheila Bosco of Dire Wolves along with Gregory Hagan of Thomas Carnacki and formerly Common Eider, King Eider, their sound is viscous, oozing; the slow-bleed of sleep-paralyzed consciousness gradually coming to grips with the world around it. Tape manipulations and extended electronics form a densely droning backdrop from which emerges well-placed interventions of decipherable instruments, briefly sounding off in kaleidoscopic fashion before being submerged back into the muck. As the ritual proceeds, the group finds themselves exploring faintly groove-driven passages that flirt with the kosmische psych of Amon Düül II or Tangerine Dream.