Troika 48: Ambient Americana

Spotify's normally the one that makes up genres, but I've recently been listening a lot to what I've come to term 'Ambient Americana'. Expansive ambient soundscapes created with guitars (especially pedal and lap steel) and effects pedals, creating a vibe that calls to mind big sunset skies, diners and deserts. This is my kind of Country music, and here are my top three!

1. "Denton, Texas" - Raymond Richards
   Raymond Richards' Lost Art of Wondering is a wonderful audio travelogue that makes me want to do a US road trip. Listening to this helps me imagine places I've never been to.
   Bandcamp

2. "Riga Black" - Chuck Johnson
   Balsams was the album that started me on this Ambient Americana journey. It's a beautiful piece of work that is sparse, and at times, melancholy.
   Bandcamp

3. "Second Rodeo" - Cowboy Sadness
   Cowboy Sadness is a side project, created by members of the bands The Antlers, Bing & Ruth, and Port St. Willow. Selected Jambient Works is surely going to be in my top five of the year. This track, along with "Full Mammoth" are the standout tracks for me.
   Bandcamp

(The background music in the introduction is "Eye on the Sparrow" by Chuck Johnson, also from Balsams)

There are many more artists that I would consider to be a part of this genre, such as William Tyler, Yasmin Williams and Hayden Pedigo, but I'll save those for another time. I'm trying to stick to my original 'three tracks' rule that was the original point of Troika.

Cover photo by Photo by Vasilis Karkalas on Unsplash

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