Latvian guitarist Edgars Rubenis concludes an aspiring three-part project with teh release of his latest album, “Shelterbelt.” The instrumental work, rooted in blues and ragtime traditions but utilizing a contemporary compositional approach, is the final installment in Rubenis’s “Pains And boogies” trilogy, following “Slow Lightning” (2022) and “Sea Unbound” (2023). Currently available on a limited-edition audio cassette via the netherlands-based “dis ce que” label,”Shelterbelt” offers a deliberately raw and lo-fi soundscape reflecting Rubenis’s exploration of self-care and navigating modern life.
Latvian guitarist Edgars Rubenis has completed his ambitious “Pains And Boogies” trilogy with the release of “Shelterbelt.” Currently available on audio cassette, the full album will be available for streaming in mid-January. The project is being released through the Netherlands-based micro-label “dis ce que.”
“Shelterbelt” was composed over the past five years, with the album’s eight instrumental tracks for acoustic solo guitar recorded during a three-day session in May of this year. Like its predecessors, “Slow Lightning” (2022) and “Sea Unbound” (2023), the new album “weaves a unified network of contemporary compositional language with expressions of early blues and ragtime tradition,” according to Rubenis himself.
Rubenis explains that the title “Shelterbelt” refers to a common agricultural practice of planting rows of trees around fields to protect them from the wind. He describes the tree line as “a set of self-care practices worth cultivating while living in a chaotic world.” The concept, he says, represents a metaphorical safeguard for navigating modern life.
“In its sound, ‘Shelterbelt’ continues the ‘lo-fi’ aesthetic of the trilogy, utilizing techniques achieved through the use of audio cassettes and associated equipment during the recording process,” Rubenis stated. “This rough sound, in my opinion, encourages creatively ambivalent listening and creates situations where the usual strict outlines of musical styles and historical eras become fluid and inclusive.”
Translating Rubenis’s approach into more accessible terms, the sound is intentionally raw and natural – akin to a musician playing an acoustic guitar on a chair or bed and recording it on a vintage tape recorder like an “Olimps” or a standard cassette deck. While some music critics may dismiss the recording quality, fans of experimental music are likely to embrace Rubenis’s unique approach.
Beyond the recording techniques, “Shelterbelt” is being hailed as another guitar masterpiece from Rubenis, with clear nods to the blues tradition, delivered in a minimalist style that maximizes impact. While a deep understanding of musical theory may be needed to fully analyze the album’s compositional elements, listeners are encouraged to simply immerse themselves in the guitar soundscapes, from the first track to the last. Rubenis singles out “Populist Drag” and “Ten Years Since” as particularly noteworthy tracks.
