Recorded and slowly tweaked in late 1999, these melodic compositions for acoustic guitar and ring modulator are the first true solo recordings by Steve Lobdell (Baseball Astrologer collaborator, leader of both Davis Redford Triad and Sufi Mind Game not to mention sometime- guitar wrangling with Faust). Their whispery, fluffy-cloud dynamism will appeal to the desire for a little subtlety. 

Automatic Writing by the Moon's 13 tracks are a mixture of massive overdubbing, wondrous cinematic composition, folksy improvisation and studio experimentation. The backwards feedback of "Astral Projection" is vibrantly illuminating, while the instrumental arrangement of Chilean folksinger Victor Jara's "The Departure" evokes a cosmic western scene. So, yes, this record is psychedelic - if it really must be dumbed down - but not in the burnt-tar hooliganism sense; despite healthy studio trickery, Mr. Lobdell still insists on playing the guitar with his fingers.

Steven Wray Lobdell's second full-length solo album for Holy Mountain was recorded live in December in a small Portland, Oregon, donut shop (actually on a loft above the toilet), and unleashes some of Lobdell's most over-the-top torrents of Echoplexed guitar frenzy. Elliptical, psychedelic rhythms merge with his trademark fat guitar tone to produce intense leads that demand comparison to an ocean on fire or planet-sized sunspots. Amazing stuff.