James Blackshaw - Litany Of Echoes download mp3 flac

Blackshaw is one of my musical heroes; he's definitely one of the most talented and challenging composer around. If you take the time to approach his entire discography chronologically, the constant migration of form is undeniable; he develloped a language that mixes influences nobody would have dare to melt. "Litany" represents the peak of this quest, it's a record that owes as much to Fahey's legacy (the obvious tag he was sadly instantly stamped with) than to the minimalist composers such as Reich, Glass etc... Thus said, it would be an understatement to limit this incredible album to such a binary definition: Blackshaw always expressed an inherent melancholy within all his compositions, that specific feeling is what made him different than all the other finger-pickers; his fantastic technique is also what permitted him to rise way above most of Fahey's revival fanatics. "Litany Of Echoes" rely on repetitions of phrases declined in such refined and complex intertwined mantras that the listener can't perceive the work as obviously "repetitive", it all works on a subconscious level, allowing the shining beauty of the tracks themselves to be heard in priority. That's how intelligent and sensible the guy manage to craft his music. He invented a new type of transcendence, one that doesn't need the usual psychedelic deportations and/or the wall of sounds that are so often used by all sonic shamans; I strongly recommend the acquisition of this jewel... Enter Jame's world for the unraveling pleasure you'll get from listening to it.