The Glass Bead Game

The Glass Bead Game

On James Blackshaw's seventh studio album the opening "Cross" bestows an organic sounding symphony from beautifully dexterous finger-picking on a 12-string acoustic. But Blackshaw is also interested in adding to the Fahey formula — gossamer cellos braid gently with harmonium, flute, clarinet, violin and Glaswegian chanteuse Lavina Blackwall's heavenly singing — all coming together to recall moments of Pentangle's brilliance without overtly emulating them. Conversely, "Bled" plays with space and restraint, allowing Blackshaw's steel strings to ring longer before his picking gathers momentum. A distant piano introduces "Fix" before cello notes add stark beauty to a chaste composition thirsty for Blackshaw's absent guitar. But his 12-string returns on the following "Key" with gentle explosions of endless arpeggios cascading like a backwards waterfall pouring upwards. Ending on the nearly 20-minute-long "Arc" showcases his true brilliance. The metamorphic movement begins as a piano solo before other elements are patiently layered until crawling from its pupa, pumping its wings and taking flight.

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