Independent's Day Radio

The pedal steel guitar is usually an instrument reserved for country and western music. Its complicated, pitch-changing levers and pedals, volume swells and lack of frets gives the high and lonesome music of rural America its distinctive weepy sound. But some artists push the instrument into new territory, notably uber-producer Daniel Lanois, who creates lush soundscapes with his ethereal pedal steel playing. The Los Angeles based band, First Circuit, falls somewhere in between. At its heart, the band's sound is reminiscent of a lot of British bands in your record collection... maybe a less experimental Radiohead or more muscular Coldplay. But it is their use of pedal steel that sets them apart from other would-be British pop rock emulators. First Circuit's pedal steel guitarist, Kevin Milner, juxtaposes his fairly traditional steel playing with singer Adam Kurtz' adventurous songwriting and the result is a pleasing blend that just makes sense.