James Blackshaw is mostly known for his 12-string guitar virtuosity; his ability to expand the sound of a single instrument is very impressive. His style of music ranges from folk to classical to experimental. Sometimes sounding like Leo Kottke or John Fahey and other times sounding like Phillip Glass or Steve Reich, his new album Litany of Echoes, is an intricate musical journey. These instrumental pieces fill up the entire rhythmic grid as Blackshaw plays constantly, barely taking a break to give his hands a rest. He must have incredible stamina to be able to play these pieces he has written. The first track on the album is a minimal piano piece that has little melodic development, but a great deal of rhythmic development, gradually adding more notes creating a tension that doesn’t feel like it gets resolved until the second track. The rest of the album focuses much more on the 12-string, with some strings and piano accompanying it in the background.

MP3: James Blackshaw – Gate of Ivory
MP3: James Blackshaw – Infinite Circle

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