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Low Mirada, the latest album by singer-songwriter Ryan Traster, opens with InchThe Night's Got You,Inch a mid-tempo number with guitars that oscillate seamlessly from jangle to fuzz, and a slacker vocal delivery that sounds erudite and dreamy all at once. The first half of the record keeps a buoyant energy before easing into duskier territories toward the middle, with tracks like InchSeventh DaughterInch and InchOne Click Salvation.Inch There is an aesthetic sensibility that persists throughout the album, Traster swapping the acoustic-leaning instrumentation of his earlier albums for Rickenbackers and more space and fuzz. This latest offering of songs has a reason, a place, a tradition. Based in Joshua Tree, Traster is concerned with pinning down the milieu of his home and situating his stories in the rich lineage of Cosmic American music pioneers, the likes of The Byrds, Crazy Horse, and Gram Parsons (who left this mortal coil a few blocks away from where Traster lives). As for the new sonic direction, Traster himself sums it up succinctly InchFor this record I was really into the 80s West Coast sound of the Paisley Underground, which pulled in more jangling guitars, keys, and expanded production ideas that felt slightly more contemporary.Inch This pivot too is grounded in a musical tradition; Traster is an artist and a scholar, leaving us artifacts for both wonderment and posterity. Low Mirada was recorded by Kris Johnson at Flowers Studio in Minneapolis, MN, mostly with a live band, which gives this effort a more urgent velocity than previous records. It also features keyboards and mixing by Chris Walla (Death Cab for Cutie, The Decemberists, Pinegrove). Says Traster of Walla's involvement in the project InchI'm a longtime admirer of Chris Walla and his unique approach to creating soundscapes. It was a dream collaboration for me and he was an integral part of pus
