Hayden Pedigo

Aside from William Tyler, Heyden Pedigo might just be the most cinematic painter of instrumental story-songs these days. An enigmatic figure wrapped in the myths and legends of the West, Pedigo’s fingerpicked odes to the open sky and the lonesome road are the kind that not only get under the skin, but course through the veins. A leaving record at heart, I’ll Be Waving As You Drive Away, is an intimate portrayal of grief and ennui dressed up in subtle psychedelic colors. Not as straightforward as some of his past albums, which have been painterly studies in guitar, this time around his fretwork is framed by a wealth of accompaniment that dip his longing in deep shadows of cinematic prog. With synth and strings swaddling the steel and acoustic ramble, the record seeks to suture King Crimson to its Fahey foundations.

The record is hung heavy in deep sighs and last looks. Cinematic as ever, Pedigo can write a weeper of a tune that dredges up every moment of longing the listener has ever experienced. On standouts like “Houndstooth,” “Long Pond Lily” and the title track, he does just that, but his aspirations for giving that memory gazing a bit of glaze certainly come to fruition. “Smoked” gives his Western woes long shadows and dark corners, draping specters over the air inked in oil stained shimmers. With help from Scott Hirsch at his Echo Magic studios, Pedigo sews shut his Motor Trilogy with tenderness and care, but also a little mystery. It would be easy to just soak the listener in sanguine strums, but the third chapter has a feeling of progression, end credits that leave more questions than answers.