Pedal Steel Transmission - The Angel Of The Squared Circle (2003)

Forming around the songwriting team of guitarists Dan Schneider and Gary Pyskacek and their mutual love of Hank Williams, the Beatles, and psychedelic rock, Pedal Steel Transmission first took flight in Chicago in 1997. Adding bassist Bryan d'Ouville, the trio used various drummers in the recording of 2000's That Ain't Right. A somewhat uneven release, Schneider is known to not be particularly pleased with it, but it did serve as an opening salvo for their unique mixing of weather-beaten guitar epics with icy-smooth pastoral drones. With the addition of drummer Don Ogilvie for 2002's In the Winter, It Makes the Dead Grass Look Green, the band seemingly found a more even footing, finding a more confident and complex blend of German experimentation, Chicago post-rock, and no-frills garage rock. Non-stop touring and a barrage of positive reviews earned the band a contract with Cardboard Sangria Records by the summer of that same year.