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JAMES BLACKSHAW/THE GLASS BEAD GAME/ Review
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Thefanzine.com / Brian HoweJames Blackshaw’s habit of archaic titling makes it mildly surprising to discover that the British 12-string guitarist is only in his late-twenties, a lapsed punk now composing virtuosic incantations of an often-medieval bent. But his titles perfectly capture the arcane aura of his precise, delirious music.http://www.thefanzine.com/articles/music/323/james_blackshaw's_new_classic/2 Thefanzine.com 5/19/2009 James Blackshaw The Glass Bead Game Young God Records; May 26 2009 Brethren of the Free Spirit The Wolf Also Shall Dwell with the Lamb Important Records; November 11 2008 By Brian Howe James Blackshaw’s habit of archaic titling makes it mildly surprising to discover that the British 12-string guitarist is only in his late-twenties, a lapsed punk now composing virtuosic incantations of an often-medieval bent. But his titles perfectly capture the arcane aura of his precise, delirious music. One of his albums, The Cloud of Unknowing, is named after a fourteenth-century spiritual guidebook. Another, Litany of Echoes, is book-ended by two tracks named after the mythical gates of ivory and horn (most famously mentioned in The Odyssey and The Aeneid, as well as figuring in Neil Gaiman’s Sandman) from which false and true dreams, respectively, originate. What seems at first like a rather serious concept about navigating between......
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James Blackshaw/The Glass Bead Game/Review
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brainwashed.com/Lucas SchleicherJames Blackshaw has released a number of introspective and genre-defying records since his debut on Digitalis Recordings. He has, however, arguably saved his best work for his debut on Young God http://brainwashed.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7562&Itemid =1 Brainwashed.com James Blackshaw, "The Glass Bead Game" Written by Lucas Schleicher Sunday, 17 May 2009 James Blackshaw has released a number of introspective and genre-defying records since his debut on Digitalis Recordings. He has, however, arguably saved his best work for his debut on Young God. With a couple of familiar Current 93 faces behind him, The Glass Bead Game exhibits Blackshaw's experimental preferences, but also showcases his strength as an emotive and able songwriter. Why Blackshaw named his album after a Herman Hesse novel is anyone's guess. Strong religous and romantic allusions aside, Blackshaw's music is simply and strikingly hypnotic. Its mantra-like quality is perhaps all that is required to share a name with Hesse's meditation on the intellectual and mystical. But, this hypnotic color is something every Blackshaw record has featured; his love for the likes of Terry Riley and Erik Satie is not hard to discern and his guitar-playing style lends itself to adjectives like "rolling" and "kaleidoscopic." He has flirted with American......
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JAMES BLACKSHAW – THE GLASS BEAD GAME Review
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The Big Takeover / Michael TolandProlific London guitarist JAMES BLACKSHAW has attracted quite a following not only amongst guitar aficionados, but also those who usually eschew six-string noodles. The Glass Bead Game is a good indication whyhttp://www.bigtakeover.com/reviews/james-blackshaw-the-glass-bead-game-young -god The Big Takeover JAMES BLACKSHAW – THE GLASS BEAD GAME (YOUNG GOD) by Michael Toland 17 May 2009 Prolific London guitarist JAMES BLACKSHAW has attracted quite a following not only amongst guitar aficionados, but also those who usually eschew six-string noodles. The Glass Bead Game is a good indication why. Blackshaw sees the guitar as a tool for conveying his melodic ideas, not a method of showing off his technique. His compositions revolve around circular figures that repeat, mantra-like, until they fill the room with sparkling sound. Influenced as much by classical music as by folk, Blackshaw creates slowly unfolding tracks that beckon gently but insistently, until we’ve no choice but to follow. Interestingly, this record finds Blackshaw expanding beyond his usual 12-string acoustic, using piano as the basis for “Fix” and “Arc,” and incorporating strings and wordless voices into his arrangements. The results are works of gentle power and sublime beauty. Ultimately, The Glass Bead Game has arguably less in common......
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JAMES BLACKSHAW – THE GLASS BEAD GAME Review
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Stereobubversion.com / Daniel KirschenbaumJames Blackshaw makes gorgeous music; anyone can hear this. Whether or not classical guitar virtuosity is your thing, it would be difficult to deny that the man is an extraordinarily gifted guitar player whose music is transcendently exquisite. http://www.stereosubversion.com/reviews/album-reviews/james-blackshaw-the-glass-bead-game-05-13-2009/ Stereosubversion.com James Blackshaw - The Glass Bead Game Wednesday May 13th, 2009 By Daniel Kirschenbaum James Blackshaw makes gorgeous music; anyone can hear this. Whether or not classical guitar virtuosity is your thing, it would be difficult to deny that the man is an extraordinarily gifted guitar player whose music is transcendently exquisite. This is not to say the man is immune to criticism. In fact, it would not be terribly unreasonable to suggest that a great deal of his guitar ragas sound at least somewhat similar to each other. Granted, more attentive listeners notice the subtle touches that differentiate one of Blackshaw’s swirling guitar pieces from another, but it would be dishonest to pretend that his songs are entirely unalike. More broadly, it’s not particularly easy to distinguish one Blackshaw album from another. Play a couple of them in a row on your iTunes without interruption and you’ll have a hard time telling where one ends and......
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James Blackshaw/The Glass Bead Game/Review
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Hallock Hill / by Hallock HillHard to believe that he can make such stratospheric leaps, but it is safe to say Blackshaw has never sounded better.Hallock Hill http://www.hallockhill.net/post/103533646/james-blackshaw-cross-the-glass-be ad-game 4 MAY 2009 By Hallock Hill James Blackshaw, The Glass Bead Game (Young God, 26 May 2009) Young God is hosting this magnificent opening track to Blackshaw’s forthcoming album. Hard to believe that he can make such stratospheric leaps, but it is safe to say Blackshaw has never sounded better. The numerous triplets at play at the opening of this track somehow reinforce Blackshaw’s emotive streak—and the glissandi on the strings in the background rise his already powerful melody into a richer place. The wordless vocals courtesy of Lavinia Blackwall (Directing Hand) are reminiscent of some of Philip Glass’s best work. But it is Blackshaw’s guitar that spellbinds—a blistering torrent of notes, melody and, quite simply, ideas. That final raked chord chills. He is not one to shy away from writing something beautiful, nor of performing his compositions with grace and depth....