Tape Tuesday: Chrome Universal – A Survey of Modern Pedal Steel
If you only associate pedal steel guitar with cowboy hats and country western songs, you’re really missing out. The instrument has been a longtime touchstone in many ambient/experimental tracks, with what seems like an uptick in the last few years as the genre has continued to expand and gain more widespread acceptance.
Case in point: earlier this year Thomkins Square put out the 11th edition of their seminal “Imaginational Anthem” series highlighting the disparate usage of the instrument on the record titled The Chrome Universal – A Survey of Modern Pedal Steel. The compilation finds some new, some old and some in-between, all curated by Nashville pedal steel player Luke Schneider, who contributes his own track “Yosemite.” If you’ve heard any of the Imaginational Anthem series you know they are always lush explorations of outre guitar work, and this edition is no different. The songs all lean ambient and minimalist experimental and it has proven to be a go-to for when I need to wind down at the end of a stressful day.
You can listen to the record below via bandcamp and use the same link to scoop up a copy on tape or vinyl.
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