Lee Underwood - California Sigh (2024)

Best known for playing lead guitar for Tim Buckley throughout his career, Lee Underwood released the sublime 'California Sigh' in 1988, pairing his celestial acoustic meditations with subtle synthwork and field recordings from none other than ambient don Steve Roach.

It's remarkable how contemporary 'California Sigh' sounds, considering it was mostly ignored when it was originally released. Listening now, its fusion of reverberating feather-light Americana and eerie ambience sounds prophetic, so it's fitting that Drag City should be handling its first ever vinyl pressing. There are comparisons to be made with some of the era's new age recordings, but Underwood's skillful playing sets him apart from his peers. In fact, 'California Sigh' has more in common with Six Organs of Admittance's kosmische-inspired 'Time is Glass' or Richard Youngs' material - Roach's contributions on synth and co-production duties are muted, but add a hallucinatory sheen to Underwood's dextrous arrangements.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Lee Underwood - Gentle Rain (3:52)
1.02 - Lee Underwood - Seaview (4:30)
1.03 - Lee Underwood - Portals of the Heart (7:01)
1.04 - Lee Underwood - California Sigh (3:49)
1.05 - Lee Underwood - Lady of the Streams (4:42)
1.06 - Lee Underwood - Venice, '68 (4:20)
1.07 - Lee Underwood - Quietude Oasis (3:59)
1.08 - Lee Underwood - Little Desert Cat Feet (2:52)
1.09 - Lee Underwood - The Other Side of Sunny (5:04)
1.10 - Lee Underwood - Midnight Blue (8:57)
1.11 - Lee Underwood - Aspen Trails (5:06)