Salt by Ulaan Khol

Though silent as Ulaan Khol for the past few years, Steven R. Smith has been as busy as ever writing & recording for tangential projects Ulaan Markhor and Ulaan Passerine. Ulaan Khol may not have seen the same attention as of late, but is the nexus of Smith's current endeavors, and is his longest-running project as well. Seven years after the first Ulaan Khol release arrived, Smith continues to utilize the platform to fuse the confluence of New Zealand free noise, Australian post-punk and art-rock, and Japanese underground psych (a la PSF Records) with his own palette. Smith presents his own personal strain of psychedelic guitar exploration, alternating between blistering, hypnotic and meditative, with his scorching guitar firmly at the center. Salt is the latest chapter.

Steven R. Smith is the mind of Hala Strana, Ulaan Khol, Ulaan Passerine, Ulaan Markhor (& so many more), but also makes music under his given name. Active since the mid-90s, Smith has recorded a staggering totem of work, and every release is as good as the next.