Bleep

Imagine the disembodied beauty of Easy Rider and you are part of the way to realising the spectral desert landscapes and high-contrasts of the great American outdoors, as depicted in Peter Fonda's directorial debut, ‘The Hired Hand’ - a cult, psychedelic western from 1971. Lingering glances at arid patches of isolation gain even more poetic weight from Bruce Langhorne’s sublime soundtrack comprised of ghostly guitar strings, delicately echoing piano keys and sparse arrangements made all the more affecting for some distinctly lo-fi tape dubbing. Finally available as a deluxe vinyl edition, this haunting, spectral example of post-counter culture americana is one of the most sincere examples of 'outsider' film music composition evoking a mood that would not be heard for another 40 years in the works of Boards of Canada and Bibio. Essential, in a word.