Another year and yet another record from the ever brilliant and prolific James Blackshaw. Taking its title from Herman Hesse’s dystopian novel, The Glass Bead Game is Blackshaw’s sixth album in as many years, (not counting compilations, collaborations, split releases or guest appearances) and, thankfully, it seems his well of inspiration has yet to run dry.
The Glass Bead Game contains the same depth, sensitivity and audacity as previous albums, but also there is an added sense of maturity in the compositions. Before it seemed that Blackshaw’s compositions were more like complex jigsaw puzzles, built up of different themes and motifs so brilliantly put together that you couldn’t hear the joins. But with this album and last years Litany of Echoes, more emphasis is placed on standard song structure and the music itself is even stronger for it.
The Glass Bead Game
Opener “Cross” is a stunningly evocative piece of music. The 12 string is put way back in the mix, shrouded in rich textures of harmonium, cello (John Contreras), violin (Jollie Wood) and vocals (Lavinia Blackwell). Each of the string instruments weave around the evolving guitar line, exploring their own musical avenues whilst Blackwell’s polyphonic contralto appears strange and wonderful, bringing echoes of Meredith Monk. The track is so well put together that the music never feels cluttered and within the disparate sounds and layers it retains its beautiful melodic theme.
“Bled”, the first of two solo guitar pieces on the album seems at times self referential. The opening stark guitar figures, undercut by a plaintive harmonium drone conjure up the same sparse liturgical quality of Blackshaw’s work with lutist Joseph Van Wissem. Similarly the discordant tremolo recalls both the “River of Heaven” and “Spiralling Skeleton Memorial”, whilst the complex contrapuntal picking and melodic runs hark back to last years “Shroud”. The track is a superbly atmospheric tour de force of guitar playing, with minor chords dissolving into major 7ths creating waves of harmony and terror in equal measure.
“Fix” is a little more staid and subdued. Taking its cue from the music of Erik Satie and Philip Glass, it is a very subtle and wistful piano piece ably backed up by pastoral strings. The other entirely solo guitar effort, “Key” appears almost as a companion piece to “Fix”, utilising a similar punctuated melody line, but with more intent on sonic exploration. With its complex polyrhythm and sweeping melancholic chords, “Key” is a thing of rare fragile beauty.
Arc
Album closer “Arc” is one of the biggest surprises of the record. A not so subtle nod to Canadian pianist Lubomyr Melnyk and to "Madrush" by Philip Glass, "Arc" is a huge sprawling 20 minute piano piece of almost preternatural magnificance, and is one of the most astonishing tracks you will hear this year. From a quiet beginning of an almost forgotten melody, Blackshaw changes to a hurried repetitive piano figure which mutates under the influence of the sustain pedal.
The notes run into each other creating a torrent of fathomless sound, which ebbs and flows through shifting notes and subtle chord changes. It’s utterly mesmeric, and by the time the cello, violin and heavenly vocals are added to the musical stream the track seems to have a reached a transcendental state.
It is easy to wax lyrical over the complexity of Blackshaw’s playing, or indeed the instinctive musicality and intelligence of his compositions for someone so unschooled in musical theory. But really this is all secondary to the sheer beauty of this album. Beauty is a form of genius- is higher indeed than genius, as it requires no explanation. Hopefully the Glass Bead Game will deservedly open up Blackshaw’s music to a greater audience.
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