Freshly signed to Michael Gira’s Young God Records, James Blackshaw returns with another step forwards in his creative evolution, marking a further inclination towards broader composition than ever before. No longer does it really seem fitting to describe Blackshaw as a mere ‘guitarist’;

given the advanced instrumental range on show here, you’d have to think about categorizing this man alongisde the Peter Brodericks and Max Richters of this world, With pieces like ‘Fix’ and ‘Arc’ Blackshaw reveals a whole new side to his talent, laying on strings and piano, setting aside his principal instrument of choice. Twelve-string fans needn’t concern themselves however, this is an album that features an abundance of Blackshaw’s signature playing style,

Track Listing

1. Cross
2. Bled
3. Fix
4. Key
5. Arc

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Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #20161 in Music
• Released on: 2009-05-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Dimensions: .15 pounds

CD Description
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.

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Customer Reviews

As his creative vision matures he just gets better
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!

Addictive
Ah. This is so good. I bought this album after seeing him play live in the summer and I'm pretty sure I'll get his other stuff too. An incredibly talented guitarist writing some really beautiful music.

New Directions
A new direction in some ways for James Blackshaw starting with the beautiful 12 string "Cross" he moves onto a ten minute instrumental "Bled" finishing with the eighteen minute epic "Arc".
James's piano playing is much more evident on this release and he is also adding more orchestrating instruments.
This is a fine cd and with all good things will grow with repeated playing.
(The Glass Bead Game is also a title of a book by Hermann Hesse,
check it out?)