43 Odes - 43 Odes (2019) [Hi-Res]

The self-titled debut album by the American duo 43 Odes, originally released on cassette by the independent label Eiderdown Records in 2019 and reissued in 2023, brought together two leading figures of the San Francisco countercultural collective Jewelled Antler—multi-instrumentalists Steven R. Smith and Glenn Donaldson. Recorded during late 2018 sessions across Los Angeles and San Francisco, the work was conceived as a poetic sonic backdrop for solitary contemplation amidst windswept natural surroundings.

The musical scope of the release merges elements of experimental folk, neofolk, ambient, and psychedelic rock. The sonic framework is constructed around an intricate interplay of unusual acoustic stringed instruments—including bowed banjo, spike fiddle, spike cello, baritone psaltery, and the Indian bulbul tarang—with sparse drum machine patterns, vintage analog synthesizers such as the Moog, Casiotone, and Roland RS-09, alongside audio tape manipulations provided by artist Brian Lucas. The duo's compositions unfold as hypnotic post-industrial improvisations and meditative drone topographies that honor the natural landscape and states of human ecstasy.

Tracklist:
1-1 43 Odes - Gyvk [5:30]
1-2 43 Odes - Reema [4:08]
1-3 43 Odes - Utta [2:48]
1-4 43 Odes - Majha [7:52]
1-5 43 Odes - Veerna [3:24]
1-6 43 Odes - Myr Vehrt [10:04]
1-7 43 Odes - Braspyt [4:40]
1-8 43 Odes - Khiriv [3:23]