A collection of “husband & wife duos, pub legends, one-man-bands, preachers’ sons, and country-lounge entertainers.”

About two years ago, the Santa Cruz-based archival projects company Smiling C issued a sublimely curated collection of oft-wistful, tiny-beat-filled tracks as American Dream Reserve. Featuring work, according to brief release notes, by “husband & wife duos, pub legends, one-man-bands, preachers’ sons, and country-lounge entertainers,” the compilation gathered 16 songs described as “lo-fi drumcomputer folk, disco-pop-lounge, haunting ballads, obscure vanity pressings, and synthesized string ensembles” into a cohesive, singular slab of vinyl that progresses like a narrative film or long lost, brilliantly curated FM radio broadcast from 1982.

As with all great compilations, it told a story without having to utter a single word, a self-contained sonic realm that beamed with a clarity. Specifically, that story was compiled and sequenced by Charles Bals, whose epic 2018 production Club Meduse was a similarly time-traveling vessel to an unexplored universe.

We’ve noted Smiling C, founded by Henry Jones, before. In 2021, Dane Majors wrote about Mexican experimental jazz artist Germán Bringas and Tunel Hacia Ti, the label-curated compilation of his work. Earlier this year, the label issued, alongside Seance Center, Tri​á​ngulos De Luz Y Espacios De Sombra, what the label describes as “visionary Mexican electronic music sourced from obscure cassettes, CDs, private pressings, and personal archives.” It’s an essential document.

Less than two years after American Dream Reserve, curator Bals and Smiling C have reconvened to release a new compilation called Black Rain. Announced in early July, the new collection arrived with a description noting that it “contains a darker, more solitary narrative—a collection of reclusive, ‘sigh-chedelic’ folk,” adding that the anthology sources “rare moments that feel like they were pulling-the-paisley-thread of a dying psychedelic folk movement.”

We shot Smiling C’s Henry Jones an email asking him about Black Rain, which the ISC Shop has available for pre-order, and he said that the LP “was originally conceived as a companion piece to America Dream Reserve.”

Continued Jones: “Not necessarily an America Dream Reserve Vol. 2, but like a darker, more gritty film from the same director. This time, Charles took the lead and focused on a comp that created a concise, moodier narrative. I feel like he tried to create an ‘in between-genre’ that contextualized all these recordings – somewhere between outsider psych folk, a hint of western, and a ‘wasted’ loner rock sound.”

Bals, whose depth of knowledge and digging abilities are legendary, added, “With this record, we once again tried to squeeze a selection through a needle’s eye, striving to create a musical aesthetic that is almost elusive—a sound that hovers between fractured psychedelic rock and hazy country ballads. Listening to these records, I would always imagine the soundtrack to a Wim Wenders film set against the backdrop of skaters in Texas … something like that.”

The ten tracks seemed to glide across the soundscape like tumbleweeds, whether Steve Novak’s “Hearts Are Broken,” Wisconsin private-press “Mississippi Queen” Erin’s “Good-bye Mother Nature” or Rare Summer’s mesmerizing Balearic-esque ballad “Goodbye.” It’s a time-machine-trip from start to finish, one infused with subtle synths, the occasional conga and softly-strummed guitar.

“I love working with Charles because he sees the movie in his head, and his curation offers a fresh perspective on how these songs interconnect to form a cohesive sound,” says Smiling C’s Jones. “I think we really try to separate ourselves by using the compilation as a storytelling medium. Although some songs may stand out individually, the collection is designed to be experienced from start to finish to fully capture the intended soundtrack effect.”

The collection comes out Friday, August 16, but you should probably pre-order the LP if you want a first-pressing. It’ll go fast, and we can secure one for you here.