Steve Palmer is a unique young guitarist from Minneapolis. Useful Histories is his second full-length release. There is a lot going on with this release and it demonstrates the skillful use of numerous styles from guitar picking to more Krautrock oriented styles featuring Motorik beats and subtle guitar work.
Statesboro Day is a fuzzed out Motorik effort with numerous guitar loops echoing throughout its 11 minutes. “Squalor” brings to mind the cosmic choogling of Prana Crafter with the heavy looping and echo on this mostly guitar piece. “Thirty” is a much more bluesy effort with some Far Eastern overtones. “I Am John Tinor” is more of a long drone piece with subtle guitar variations and loops and clocks in at almost 12 minutes of pure bliss. The album closes with the almost funky “Useful Histories” featuring drums and an almost Bo Diddly vibe hiding underneath all the guitar work. A strong effort by Steve Palmer and if you are a fan of the work of Prana Crafter this may be right up your ally.
Released on Sunrise Ocean Bender on both black and transparent purple vinyl.
