Photo: Roberto Johnson
January 30th will see the release of Langeleik, the collaborative album from London-based pedal-steel player Joe Harvey-Whyte and multi-instrumentalist Geir Sundstøl, who’s one of Norway’s most esteemed and beloved guitarists. Set for release on January 30 through Hubro, the record brings together two musicians who share a fascination with the pedal steel, but approach it from different places and working habits. Harvey-Whyte and Sundstøl met years ago through a shared curiosity for each other’s work and eventually in August 2024 Harvey-Whyte travelled to Oslo. What was supposed to be “five days to do something with two pedal-steel guitars”, turned into a full-length record. “We decided almost nothing in advance,” Harvey-Whyte says. “We just started playing.”
This open-ended approach became central to the sound of the album. Most of the music was written in the studio, built from improvisation, close listening, and a shared interest in texture and movement. For Sundstøl, the speed of the process was a contrast to his usual way of working. “Joe works spontaneously. I usually tinker with tiny detail for days,” he says. “The two different work forms are equally good, I guess. You gain some, and you loose some by spending months on a song.”
Across Langeleik, the pedal steel is joined by synths, field recordings, drum machines and other analogue instruments, with many of the pieces named after rivers and places. “When I listen to the album I hear the ocean and rivers,” Harvey-Whyte says. “It’s not an album of instant gratification — it’s an album to do nothing with. A companion for reverie.”
Today, the pair have released the new single ‘Tana’, a serene and slow-unfolding piece named after one of Norway’s northernmost rivers. Speaking about it, Sundstøl comments:
“Joe and I are both inspired by North Indian classical music. Tana is our take on the raga: It starts out with the alap, a form of improvisation that introduces the melodic framework, and then develops into a raga inspired track. A raga would normally stay in one key, grounded by a drone. Here, we are instead moving between two chords: D and E minor. Both instruments are treated with the vocoder, usually associated with electronic music, creating an unusual soundscape, all grounded by Dalen’s and Engen’s delicate drumming.”
‘Tana’ follows their earlier single ‘The Tyburn’, which if you haven’t yet, it’s also worth spending time with. Here’s both.
Following the release of the gorgeous and shimmering ‘
