2xLP in matte lamination jacket with OBI strip.
Fourth and alleged final outing from Henry Birdsey's New England-based Old Saw unit. Previous records have commonly been categorised as 'ambient', though The Wringing Cloth feels more a re-imagining of the American Primitive tradition amidst a confluence of underground aesthetics. Birdsey is joined by seven other players of various stringed, wind and percussive instruments who unite around a shared pursuit of mid-to-long form folk-oriented, cosmic country-adjacent drone. Dial the clock back 25 years and you'd have easily found a space for this alongside certain figures connected to Constellation and the 'New Weird America' avant folk 'movement'. That helps towards a description now, though really this is really just the kind of artfully-poised, lovingly performed instrumental Americana that often seems to exist outside of any prevailing scene and within the shared understandings of its own close-knit circle. No explanation as to why they're calling time on the project now, but if this is really to be the Old Saw swan song, then it's a beautifully crafted send off played with genuine heart and skill. Adam Wiltzie, Pan-American and late period Earth fans seeking something a little more Appalachian would do well to check in here before Old Saw permanently check out.
FFO: Adam Wiltzie, Pan-American, Earth, William Tyler, Scenic
