The summer solstice just passed here in the Northern Hemisphere, and I’ve found myself in a reflective state of mind. Unless you’re living in a cave (in which case, how are you reading this?), you know the world is especially turbulent right now.
Beyond the headlines of war and social unrest, this summer is already showing signs of intensifying climate disruption. Philadelphia, where I was born and raised, has already seen triple-digit temperatures, rare for late June and a sobering reminder of what’s shifting around us.
Amid all this uncertainty, I’ve been leaning deeper into my spiritual practices: more meditation, journaling, and a stronger commitment to mindfulness. These have become anchors, helping me stay grounded in the chaos.
I’ve also been drawn to softer, more meditative sounds, especially gentler strains of psychedelic and ambient country music.
Below is a short list of records that have been on repeat for me lately. I share them in the hope that they offer you a moment of calm, too.
Understand by William Tyler & Luke Schneider (2021)
Released in 2021, this four-track EP is a blend of cosmic country, ambient, and krautrock, yet it embodies the hallmarks of a healing sound bath experience. It’s been perfect for listening while unwinding at the end of the workday.
Tyler and Schneider recorded these tracks in a Nashville studio during the 2020 COVID lockdown in a single session, which is rather remarkable when you listen to it. Both of these composers and guitarists are at the forefront of this type of music in the U.S., and they were once roommates, I’ve heard.
Understand, inspired by the Ted Chiang science fiction novella of the same name, showcases them experimenting with ambient and krautrock instrumentals featuring acoustic and electric guitar, pedal steel guitar, banjo, bass, and synthesizer.
You can’t go wrong with any of Tyler or Schneider’s releases, and many of them have a gentle sound that is perfect for relaxation. But for whatever reason, I’ve been particularly drawn to Understand.
If you like this EP, check out Tyler’s new record, Time Indefinite, which is rougher around the edges but still great. You can also check out more of Schneider’s works, such as the blissful 2023 EP, It Is Solved By Walking.
Fleeting Adventure by Andrew Tuttle (2022)
Based in Brisbane, Australia, Andrew Tuttle is one of the better ambient country composers to have emerged in the past decade or so. Fleeting Adventure, released in 2022, may be his strongest work to date.
The record has a stellar cast of collaborators, including Schneider, Chuck Johnson, Steve Gunn, and many more. The banjo and shimmering electronics combine with acoustic guitar, violin, and an array of other instruments to create a beautiful soundscape over seven tracks.
If you like Fleeting Adventure, there’s much more from Tuttle you can listen to. He has an impressive body of work dating back to 2015, including last year’s imaginative re-workings of an unfinished instrumental album by British songwriter, guitarist, and cult hero Michael Chapman.
Birds & Beasts by SUSS (2024)
If you want to truly experience the ambient country sound, check out the band that invented the term. That’s SUSS, the NYC-based trio that released its fifth LP last summer, Birds & Beasts. I’ve been listening to these guys for a while now, and this particular record has been a healing balm for my anxiety.
Birds & Beasts has heavy thematic content that resonates with what we’re all going through now. The trio says the rhythms of nature inspire the ambient and ethereal soundscapes on the record, and there’s also occasional warm rays of hope and the better angels of our human nature.
Here’s a quote from the liner notes:
“For once, it looked like the stark, vast landscapes that we had been painting before were starting to be populated with a bit of creature warmth,” says Bob Holmes (mandolin, guitar, harmonica, violin). But, he adds, “this is not Garden of Eden kind of stuff.” Pat Irwin (electric guitar, resonator guitar, keyboards) adds, “I think of the fragility of the world around us. I think of the humanity, and the lack of it. The world seems out of balance. There are birds and there are beasts.”
Pretty on the nose, right? The world does seem out of balance or, as the Bard would say, “Time is out of joint.” Birds & Beasts aims to be a medicine for this, and I think it mostly succeeds.
The last two tracks, “Beasts” and “Migrations,” are both longer than ten minutes and delve deep into the musical concepts that SUSS has explored over the years. There’s an undercurrent of hope that pulses through, but there’s still plenty of room for a minimalism that lets my mind wander. Whether I go to the dark or light corners of my mind is up to me in the moment.
I also find “Migration” interesting on a few levels. It seems to reference avian migration, but what about human climate migration? There are already examples in the U.S. and globally of people leaving natural disaster hotspots.
And in the near future, there could be parts of the planet that become uninhabitable. Perhaps SUSS has created a song not just about the animal kingdom, but about the future migrations of humanity on a warming planet.
Dig into these ambient country gems if you’d like. As you can see, they offer some food for thought and plenty of relaxation. This summer might be a wild ride for many of us, and we need music like this to keep us centered.
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