Country Tropics

On 'Country Tropics', the New England instrumental collective Old Saw recontextualizes American folk traditions through a prism of ambient drone and pastoral minimalism. The sextet, centered on composer Henry Birdsey, melds the earthy tones of fiddle, banjo, and pedal steel guitar with the ethereal hum of pipe organ and bells. These long-form, meditative compositions deconstruct traditional sources, stretching chords and melodies into richly textured soundscapes that evoke a secular devotion to the American landscape.