New World, Lonely Ride by Michael Grigoni and Pan•American

Having studied ethnomusicology at the University of Washington, Michael Grigoni knows a thing or two about observation. His skill for consuming and understanding the intricacies of the world around him feeds into his music production, the result of which is heard in complex layers of sound and implication, primarily through his steel guitars (lap and pedal). In a similar vein, operating as Pan•American (since 1997 but chiefly in the last ten years or so) Mark Nelson's focus has been on deeply intentional music. With loops, lap steel and baritone guitars, and sometimes his voice, his compositions are often slow, spare, reflective and cathartic. On paper then, they share much common ground, particularly the appeal of listener immersion and its emotional response:

I think the mysteries around how we listen to music and how it affects us emotionally are much more compelling than details of its creation. How sound and music hit the human heart is such a wondrous enigma – that opening-up that we can feel through music and sound is the whole point of all the work I do.

Mark Nelson

Over two years in the making, New World Lonely Ride is the first collaboration between the pair and, as prescribed above, administers a wistful balm for the soul; an antidote to world affairs; a space for contemplation. Tinges of country and bluegrass permeate, transporting the mind to a safe terrain, vast and warm, where tensions dissipate and a sense of meditative balance is attainable. It's yearning and soulful music, and in the right circumstances could possibly break you.