Glass Bead Game

James Blackshaw | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 26, 2009)
• Original Release Date: 2009
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Young God Records
• ASIN: B0024O9LMI
• Also Available in: Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #158,547 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Review

... strong influences from outside the precincts of folk music: minimalist composers like Steve Reich and Terry Riley, and some of their precursors, like Erik Satie.... (Blackshaw) fingerpicks his 12-string Guild with an immersive focus befitting such heady allusions ... a stark and ancient feeling, like something handed down through the ages.... --New York Times

... one of the best and most original instrumentalists in the new, acoustic renaissance. --Rolling Stone

Ever since this twentysomething Londoner burst onto the insular and puritanical steel-string guitar scene, he's been releasing albums at an annual pace. But for his eighth record, Blackshaw moves beyond those confines, melding his mesmeric, masterful technique with cello and violin contributions from members of experimental folk group Current 93 and setting the wordless vocals of Trembling Bells' Lavinia Blackwall to the driving, haunting opener Cross. Then, at the piano bench for the poignant ballad Fix and the stunning, assured finale Arc, Blackshaw makes you forget all about his guitar and your earthly cares.
4 1/2 stars --SPIN magazine --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Product Description

I'm extremely pleased to announce that James Blackshaw will now be releasing his absolutely spellbinding music via Young God Records. He has received attention as a 12-string guitar prodigy / virtuoso. He used to be in punk bands in England, but then he started listening to people like John Fahey, Robbie Basho, etc., and I assume locked himself in a room for 12 hours a day for several years and just played constantly. It takes intense discipline and a religious commitment to get to the place where he's at with his instrument. But his music isn't about his skill. It's not showy. It's deeply meditative-the secret language of a pre-thought, pre-dream place.
Blackshaw plays soulful and kaleidoscopic, ever-shifting mantra cycles of incredible beauty. Just his guitar by itself, with its swirling overtones, cascading notes, and a thousand points of light, resembles an orchestra, but with further orchestration--piano, strings, wind, and vocals--the music is positively cinematic and mesmerizing.
The 18-minute-plus gem on this record is Arc, performed on piano with the sustain pedal on full throttle. The rush of sound created by the overtones from Heaven, augmented by strings and wind, when played at proper (full) volume, is one of the most thrilling pieces of music I've heard in years. It takes a rare and single-minded courage and commitment to make music with such a powerfully positive force at its heart, especially in these troubled times. This is healing music that reaches for what's possible, just beyond our grasp. It is stellar...
Blackshaw is joined on this record by Joolie Wood (Current 93, Simon Finn) on violin, clarinet, and flute, and John Contreras (Baby Dee and Current 93) on cello. Lavinia Blackwall (Directing Hand) is a classically trained singer and contributed vocals.
--Michael Gira/Young God Records --This text refers to the Vinyl edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars As his creative vision matures he just gets better, June 28, 2009

By 

Piers Moktan "Piers Moktan" (Khorsor Elephant Stable, Nepal) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Glass Bead Game (Audio CD)

James Blackshaw is just so good that every time he releases something new I know I have to get it. And every time I introduce him to a friend I make a new convert. And so the word spreads, slowly but surely. So now Michael Gira has signed him upto his Young God label, and here Blackshaw builds on the move he made towards greater instrumentation on the excellent Litany of Echoes. It's still about 12 string virtuosity, and he's still innovating - surpassing all the great masters in my opinion. But this time the guitar playing is complemented by beautifully captivating choral arrangements, piano and cello. The tracks on The Glass Bead Game fulfill that greatest of musical accomplishments - they transport you to another place - they transform your state of being. I have no doubt I'll still be listening to this in 20 years time just as I have with John McLaughlin's Shakti. This is utterly brilliant music that deserves to find a diverse audience amongst lovers of disparate musical forms. Acquire a copy and enrich your life!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars NPR recommended, October 14, 2009

By 

Lockett F. Ballard (Las Cruces) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Glass Bead Game (Audio CD)

I heard a review of The Glass Bead Game on National Public Radio and was very interested. It is an excellent counterpoint to my traditional classical collection in the care. The Piers Moktan review above nails it.