psych-folk & acid-folk review page : James Blackshaw

Digital IndustriesJames Blackshaw : Lost prayers and motionless dances -cdr- (UK,2004)***°

This release contains just one 34 and a half minute track, which starts with harmonium drones and a C-F-C-F-C-F tuning, and is raga-like, with acoustic 12-string guitar, which evolves beautifully ; this is followed by some semi-acoustic environmental sound improvisations which transforms into a musical group’s performance with some organised noise as one of the elements, until the harmonium, guitar and a cymbal concludes with a sufi-like circular conclusion. According to the liner notes this piece uses 12-string guitar, harmonium, radio, bells, ride cymbal and floor tom.

For this release there are similar interests such as with Six Organs Of Admittance / Red Favorite but also any of the post-Takoma artists come easily to mind. In some way in sphere the recording holds the middle between raga, experiment ans even a sufi experience.

Audio : "Lost Prayers"

Homepage : http://shoryobuni.f2g.net/sunshrine/ Contact : shoryobuni@hotmail.com

Other review : http://thebrokenface.blogspot.com/

Thompkins SquareJames Blackshaw : Lost prayers and motionless dances -cd- (UK,2004,re.2010)****

I gave the reissue of the long track previously published as a CDR release only (I was one of the few to have ordered it) a second listen, and the piece sounds more dynamic than I remembered it. It starts with a long harmonium improvisation, with a slightly melancholic effect which middle eastern harmonium meditations have (remember Gurdjieff harmonium recordings). Than after near 9 minutes some acoustic guitar raga is started. This receives an ending with a plastic bag-alike percussion (electrically processed sound I wondered? –it is a radio the liner notes say-), with bass drum and hand bells. Then after 27 minutes a minimal guitar theme starts to participate, reforming the total sound into a droning hypnotic repetitive area with some variations. Then suddenly the track breaks into a new part, led by heavy strummed guitar, percussion and harmonium, making an impressive and convincing ending. A convincing track !

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw

Other review of CDR : http://grown-so-ugly.blogspot.com/2007/01/james-blackshaw-lost-prayers-and.html

Description on http://www.soundohm.com/james-blackshaw/lost-prayers/tompkins-square/

A split release with Davenport will be released soon.

("Celeste", "O True Believers" and 'Sunshrine were originally published on the raga-guitar review pages->) see ->

Celebrate Psi PhenomenonJames Blackshaw : Celeste -cdr- (UK,2004)***° (ex)

->Tompkins Square James Blackshaw : Celeste -cd- (UK,rec.2004, re.2010)****

First track of 14’44”, "Celeste Part 1" (here), with raga 12-string guitar fingerpicking is in the same vein of the post-Takoma guitarists Jack Rose or Steffen Basho Junghans. Great !! The second, equally long track starts with experimental sounds and harmonium droning, to introduce a new guitar piece, with occasional cymbal waves. Nice !

A somewhat equal piece as this last one is published as “Lost prayers and motionless dances”, on the Digital Industries cdr label. (Review on next page->).

Homepage : http://shoryobuni.f2g.net/sunshrine/ with audio here Contact : shoryobuni@hotmail.com

Review of "Celeste" : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/... & http://indieworkshop.com/reviews/1107/

Other reissue with reviews : http://homepages.tesco.net/~beautiful.day/Barl_Fire_Recordings_Celeste.htm

Digitalis Industries James Blackshaw : Sunshrine -cdr- (UK,rec.2005, iss.2006)****

->Tompkins Square James Blackshaw : Sunshrine -cd- (UK,rec.2005, re.2010)****

I was surprised to see Digitalis Industries finally releasing real cd’s instead of the hopelessly inferior CDR format (-even though science could make even better resistant cd’s if they would be really interested in doing so-). This mini-album fits really perfectly with “Celeste”, and it is no surprise to hear how “Celeste” and “Sunshrine” were compiled into one LP. I wish only they had done the same on CD, but perhaps as a reissue one day they will.

Where various bells take care of a replacement for the usual drone instrument, this is like the carpet laid before the king’s arrival, presented by the majestic gracious raga-like guitar and its unfolding story. Other instruments like glockenspiel, harmonium, Farfisa organ and a bit of sarod enrich the sound like gold wire on the king’s clothing. The raga evolves to an almost psychedelic strength trough a slightly over 20 minutes guitar exploration, leaving an experimental moody drone with tons of celebrating bells and cymbals. Almost like a religious Mass the harmonium concludes the track. "Skylark Herald's Dawn" is like a small melodic and moody fingerpicking outro. Another great album by James Blackshaw.

Audio : "Sunshrine" (or here for intro or here or here)

Two audio tracks with review : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=20505

And another audiotrack with review : http://www.secondlayer.co.uk/index/p1954.htm

Label info : http://www.digitalisindustries.com/digi017.html

Homepage : http://www.jamesblackshaw.com/ & http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw

LP version in combination with 'Celeste' : http://www.boweavilrecordings.com/JamesPage.htm

Other reviews : http://www.theunbrokencircle.co.uk/album_reviews_12.htm#Bookmark%207

& http://www.jamesblackshaw.com/press.html

Description : http://www.volcanictongue.com/jamesblackshaw.html

Reedition info on http://www.tompkinssquare.com/blackshaw_sunshrine.html

Important Rec.James Blackshaw : O True Believers (UK,2006)***°

“Transient Life In Twilight” exposes the richness of the 12-string guitar chords (tuned in CECECD) into the development, echoing from the guitar case, before delicately bringing in more rhythmically-pulsating reverberating waves of picking, evolving within its open tuning. “The Elk with Jade Eyes” follows after this in the same take, this time is very much more like an Indian raga. Second part of this, includes the Indian droning instrument, the tamboura and some other high note instrument which sound like a mini-psaltery or dulcimer or so, also used for accompanying effect. The track continues, far much longer than necessary, with the two other instruments, repeating themselves all over again, and again. "Spiralling Skeleton Memorial" is a quick fingerpicking, float a few chords, moody thing, with some slow movement and evolution. Last track, "O true Believers" uses the guitar more as a sound producing instrument instead as a fingerpicking expressive tool. The other instruments which drone along in waves of chords are harmonium, glockenspiel and some percussion. It is a much simplier approach, equal to a ritual hippie band improvisation with a focus on the energy flow after some more head related meditative thoughts.

The sound of the recording is terrific, and I am pleased with a real CD of James Blackshaw after all these limited cdr's from before.

Audio : "Transient Life In Twilight"(or here), "Spiralling Skeleton Memorial"

Short audiotracks : http://www.cduniverse.com/search/...

Review with 3 audio tracks : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=20593

Label info : http://importantrecords.com/...

Other review : http://www.ab-cd.com/icbin/media/IPT84.2.html

& http://importantrecords.com/adscans/jamesblackshaw_wire_apr06.jpg

Tompkins Square

James Blackshaw : The Cloud Of Unknowing (UK,2007)****

I could have expected this from James Blackshaw, but his individualistic ideas here still surprised me. This is not the average approach to guitar music, especially not when related and published on a guitar based label. Every track is built in multi-track of a multitude of meccano-like quickly played arpeggios, with a moody to hypnotic effect. These pickings climb, step-wise, up and down. Added on the second track are extra glockenspiel and violin. The third track, “sound collapse” has a more “Chinese” feeling. On this third, but also the last track are added some drone-like sound explorative loops based upon what I assume are tape-experiments with electro-acoustic sounds. A sort of sound meditation must have been used for it, to make this sample musically attractive. On this last track, “stained glass”, the clustered compilation of violin/orchestra-like sounds almost sounds like an abstract bird-like world, between chaos and organisation, which is, in a contemporary way, loaded with a frightening vision.

Audio : "Running To The Ghost", "Clouds Collapse"

Review with audio : http://www.boomkat.com/item.cfm?id=41710

Other reviews : http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/article/record_review/43336-the-cloud-of-unknowing

& http://www.bigtakeover.com/reviews/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing-tompkins-square

& http://store.acousticsounds.com/browse_detail.cfm?Title_ID=39250

& http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/cd_reviews/article2133344.ece

& http://www.allaboutjazz.com/php/article.php?id=26295

& http://www.soundfixrecords.com/products/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing

& http://www.dustedmagazine.com/reviews/3624

& http://indycdandvinyl.com/2007/06/28/james-blackshaw-the-cloud-of-unknowing/

& http://www.stylusmagazine.com/reviews/sir-richard-bishop-james-blackshaw/while-my-guitar-violently-bleeds-the-cloud-of-unknowing.htm

Label info : http://www.tompkinssquare.com/blackshaw.html

Homepage : http://www.jamesblackshaw.com/ & http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw

Young God Rec.James Blackshaw : The Glass Bead Game (UK,2009)**°°

On the first track of James Blackshaw’s latest album, “Cross”, he takes us further than he ever did before with the help of musicians like Lavinia Blackwall (Directing Hand) on vocals, Joolie Wood on violin and flute (Current 93 and Simon Finn), John Contreras (Current 93 and Baby Dee) on cello. On top of the beautiful moody melodious picking guitar with some droning strings and the impression of a texturing harmonium we have a well fitting orchestrated arrangement, really creative and dancing vocal arrangements and flute, whirling around the music, and building up nicely with emotions. It is a brilliant expression with all the necessary changes and with an interesting, almost ballet-like development. The second piece, “Bled” is a guitar picking piece with organ harmonic drone, which develops first like an instrumental intro, then with a faster movement with the development of a recognisable melody like in a song before turning to another quieter part. So far the album is just perfect. But then the last pieces suddenly turn towards improvisational moods, with the confusion of minimum skilled ideas with minimalism, on piano, minor key romantic melody with classical arrangements which, like on “Fix” I have heard a couple of times too often to like too much. Also “Key” as a guitar improvisation in a certain key, surprises little. The last piece, “Arc” is a bit more ambitious with its minimal skills on piano and droning cello improvisation, adds more layers of piano over each other, where the cello and violin needs to make the filmic melodic evolution more consistent. This is the maximum out of a minimum of minimalism. For me, it does not survive a second listen.

It is a bit a shame. Where for the opener of this new album I had the impression James Blackshaw had suddenly entered a much more serious area of music composition, with different possibilities, purely based upon improvisation alone without different preparations, this worked less for most other tracks. This is only partially a winner.

Audio : "Cross", "Fix", "Arc"

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw

Label info : http://younggodrecords.com/Releases/Detail.asp?C=2178

Other reviews : http://www.tinymixtapes.com/... & http://brainwashed.com/... & http://pitchfork.com/...

& http://www.prefixmag.com/... & http://web.me.com/... & http://www.popmatters.com/...

& http://mapsadaisical.wordpress.com/... & http://blog.kexp.org/... & http://treblezine.com/...

& http://www.acousticmusic.com/... & http://www.normanrecords.com/... & http://strangeglue.com/...

& http://allmusic.com/... & http://www.blurt-online.com/...

Young God Rec.James Blackshaw : All Is Falling (UK,2010)***°

What first seems like having an acoustic guitar improvisational fundament, even though the first track starts with a translation of pickings into patterned minimalist piano repetitions, a foundation of a musical carpet to nowhere, there seems to be an aid towards a bigger concept. The second track is a melodic moody electric 12-string improvisation with additional interwoven string arrangements, leading to even more harmonic-melodic picking evolutions on the next track, with more strings arrangements to create a more full orchestral sound. From then on it seems that the general compositional album concept evolves ever further, into different parts of picking led and stretched moods, with somewhere a few electric distorted accents. By the 6th track the pickings are becoming minimalised again with a vocal led literal counting based upon the mathematical changes of the picking notes. This leads back to a post-minimalist focus on part 7, which is again more carpet-like and monotone, more endless repetitive, with new, colourfully interwoven string arrangement attachments. This still evolves to a very original ending with oscillating descending strings and pickings until the notes begin to have the effect of howling. The last outro track after a last new silence only shows the trace of certain overtone drone accents waving vaguely over the previously woven carpet-like ground.

This new release is again a new attempt by James Blackshaw for a next stage in composition-making. Even though some ideas are vague, monotone and repetitive, the music is entertaining enough to make it appear like a mood descriptive happening.

James Blackshaw played electric 12-string guitar, piano, glockenspiel and percussion, voice, Carlotte Glasson played violin, flute, alto saxophone and glockenspiel, Fran Bury, violin and voice, and Daniel Madac on cello.

Info & audio : http://www.myspace.com/jamesblackshaw