James Blackshaw - Litany of Echoes

I love the spider-y movements as he's sliding back-and-forth across the fretboard

Yeah he makes it look deceptively easy but it's all about that crazy right hand really isn't it? Did you check out the size of the man's fingernails? Jeebs!

Yeah. It's what he's doing with the right-hand thumb that seems mind-boggling to me. I think the other fingers are following a (complicated, hard-to-play) pattern, but the thumb looks like it's doing even more -- and more difficult -- work, since it keeps returning to a "homebase" position that starts on different strings. It must take incredible concentration, touch and intuition to get that pattern right.

^^^ lots of scarey right hand close-ups on that. Is it just two fingers and a thumb he plays with?

Anyhow, as much as I'm amazed by his chops, I'm totally going misty-eyed at the expressiveness of his music.

Some of the comments under that video are hilarious, even by YouTube standards. Great guitarist, saw him last year in Bristol (UK) and he was staggering.

Cross is the first track isn't it? The one with the Steve Reich-esque singing on it?

alright e, what the hell. the mp3s i have do not have vocals!! although i really dont think i want "cross" to have any vocals, there's no way it could add anything for me. could you message me the mp3 you've got?

So fucking good:

The Glass Bead Game is probably the best I've heard from him. This is a serious contender for album of the year, for me at least. Really, the technical stuff on here (while amazing) doesn't even register for me. Its all about this deep sense of peace that the music emits. So fucking good.

he must love that shirt a lot, like a lot.

Hahaha I was thinking the same thing!

The Glass Bead Game is probably the best I've heard from him. This is a serious contender for album of the year, for me at least. Really, the technical stuff on here (while amazing) doesn't even register for me. Its all about this deep sense of peace that the music emits. So fucking good.

― jonathan - stl, Friday, May 8, 2009 2:36 PM (1 hour ago)

yeah i've had this for about a day and a half and it's probably my second favorite record this year, after six+ plays (lol). i think we're having pretty different visceral reactions to it, but i can see where your sense of "peace" and the overwhelming despair i draw from this may overlap

"fix", for example, is like five and a half minutes of how charlie brown feels when he realizes lucy's never going to let him kick that football

Sometimes it is pretty much like staring into the fire and seeing your own personal stuff in the embers.

^yeah that's a great way of putting it!

This is the other song off the new one that's really killing me at the moment - 'Key'.

Did that even work?

Shirt looks familiar BTW, shirt fans.

Thanks so much to J0rdan for telling me about this stuff, it's so beautiful and cinematic

I've been telling people about james blackshaw for years. *throws tantrum* why does no-one ever listen to me!

Saw him live at the weekend & was totally blown away. What a beautiful sound.

I've been telling people about james blackshaw for years. *throws tantrum* why does no-one ever listen to me him!

Fixed!

Come now, Herman. Don't be so self centered. ;-)

Picking up the new one today. High expectations, very excited.

it's out today?

Nevermind... my mistake, it's next week.

yeah does anyone know of somewhere i can preorder this? the young gods site says it's not available yet :(

Via Pfork:

James Blackshaw: All Is Falling

http://cdn.pitchfork.com/media/Blackshaw.jpg

Release Date: August 24
Label: Young God

Tracklist:

01 Part 1
02 Part 2
03 Part 3
04 Part 4
05 Part 5
06 Part 6
07 Part 7
08 Part 8

He's supporting Swans on their European tour.

nice! didn't like litany of echoes quite as much as the previous couple records, but it was still fab.

I think "Part 1" and "Part 8" (the piano and synth pieces, respectively) on "All is Falling" are among his best work. "O True Believers" and then "The Cloud of Unknowing" are my two favorite of his albums, but his new release is great as well.

Yeah, it's a very great album. Definitely another testament to Gira's ear for who to sign to the label.

Yep, Gira reminds me a bit of Joe Boyd... he has both very good taste and fits things into a very particular vision of music.

gah totally forgot this came out! need to order.

on emusic fwiw

Need to get this. My favorite is O True Believers, but really, all of his stuff falls along the kinda-great-to-absolutely-stunning axis.

love blackshaw. anyone ever hear of Don Ross? I've been listening to him for quite some time...he is fantastic as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZx_ckGDa64

nope- will have to check out Ross now.

i finally ordered All Is Falling the other week, due to arrive soon. love Blackshaw, dude hasn't released a poor album yet

ross is a different style with all the hammer ons and what not, but that song above there...is just awesome.

Huron Street is my go to for him.

"fix", for example, is like five and a half minutes of how charlie brown feels when he realizes lucy's never going to let him kick that football

― k3vin k., Friday, May 8, 2009 3:48 PM (2 years ago)

was just about to post this thought again lol

this song is perfect for when you feel like 'fuk the world' and you don't want to feel any better - ultimate song for wallowing in your own misery

Blackshaw fans oughta like this record a good deal (there are similarities in sound, not to mention the two are friends, and have toured together) - not sure where else to post this, as he's not been discussed before on ILM, by the looks of it - but either way, excellent album.

yeah i've been meaning to get that one, thanks for the reminder. i've liked what i've heard of nugent in the past.

another one tangentially related to Blackshaw, without his own thread, sadly... really really good album.

new one: http://www.tinymixtapes.com/chocolate-grinder/listen-james-blackshaw-boo-forever

haha, another new one. interesting that he's switched over to nylon string guitar now.

James Blackshaw

‘Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death’

New Album available on CD/LP, Important Records, April 2012

Written at a time of great emotional disquiet, the hauntingly beautiful and bittersweet ninth full-length studio album, ‘Love Is The Plan, The Plan Is Death’, from British guitarist-composer James Blackshaw was recorded at Soma Electronic Music Studios, Chicago in December 2011 by engineer Andrew Hernandez (Balmorhea). The six original pieces contained on the album (whose titles are lovingly misappropriated from those of short stories by the late, great science fiction author James Tiptree Jr AKA Alice B. Sheldon,) are based alternately around nylon-string classical guitar and grand piano, with spare and subtle vibraphone and B3 organ parts overdubbed by Blackshaw himself. Geneviève Beaulieu (Menace Ruine/Preterite) adds her stunning and powerful voice and words to track ‘And I Have Come Upon This Place By Lost Ways’. ‘Love Is The Plan’ is an incredibly warm and intimate recording and perhaps Blackshaw’s most concise, consistent and overtly melodic work to date.

that description sounds great. rereading this thread, I appear to not own several of his best albums. I have Litany, All is Falling, and Glass Bead. The last is my favorite--should I check out any earlier ones?

cloud of unknowing is great, as is celeste. there might be a law of diminishing returns w/ some of the earlier stuff -- it sort of mines the same vibe. but if you like Litany, All is Falling, and Glass Bead, you'd definitely do well to explore the other ones.

I love the idea of him on classical guitar.

yeah i *think* he's playing that on a song from that boo forever EP from last year
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AASuAIU691s&feature=related
little bit hard to tell because he's being doubled by something -- which makes it sound kinda like a 12 string!

that sounds great. Funny cos just a couple nights ago I listened to this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhxlYkjpj6k
and thought to myself that James Blackshaw should do an album with nylon strings. That intro and then drop into the main repeating riff is one of my favorite understated music moments.

Ah, that Sun Kil Moon record was the first thing I thought of after reading this.

The negative spiral he was getting into on twitter has been glum reading, glad he's taking some time away.

I interviewed him back in the day and he was a lovely fella. Sad to see how wrong things have gone. He'll be back, hopefully.

Have things gone so "wrong"? Or is he simply just looking to shift his priorities towards happiness (which doesn't even exclude making new music!)? TBF I haven't seen these twitter posts.

The tweets that stick in my mind were quite bitter-sounding abuse directed at the Wire magazine account

Your help needed!

Dear all,

As I mentioned before, some of my older albums are currently unavailable to stream/download digitally. These will soon be available again and in some cases reissued on vinyl via a new label.

The albums are:

Celeste, Lost Prayers & Motionless Dances, Sunshrine, The Cloud of Unknowing and Litany Of Echoes

However, unfortuntely some of the original artwork is missing.

If you have any of these albums on CD or LP in good condition and can scan the covers at a minimum of 1400 x 1400 at 300 DPI, I would be immensely grateful if you could send the artwork files to me at shoryob✧✧✧@hotm✧✧✧.c✧✧

Many thanks and best wishes,

James

original post with the actual e-mail address: http://jamesblackshaw.tumblr.com/post/156101738083/your-help-needed

It's ugly to contemplate, but he's not well, is he?

He posted this on Tumblr a couple weeks ago:

End of hiatus

It’s been a while. After three years of not performing live and nearly five years since my last solo album, I feel a new energy and desire to record again and return to the stage. I never meant to be particularly dramatic about announcing my hiatus from music. I never knew if I’d feel this way again, but I’m genuinely happy I do.

I hope to have some news regarding new recordings shortly.

In the meantime, if you’d like to book me to play a show, in any town or city in any country, please contact me directly at: shoryobuni AT hotmail DOT com

I’m also selling some guitars to help and finance the new album. And pay bills. You know how it goes.

Much love and hope to see you soon,

James

https://jamesblackshaw.tumblr.com/post/186607395763/end-of-hiatus#notes

ok, this is great news

nice, that is good to hear ...

So glad to hear he's okay, new music is just a bonus really

Wasn't he run down by the lack of money/record sales? I'm glad to have him back, his music is beautiful.

yeah, good news all round

https://jamesblackshaw.bandcamp.com/album/new-album-2023

sounds like he's had a tough few years

yeah, wow. I wonder how viable a career doing. what he does actually is even in the best of times.

Dammit---I know I once wrote a show preview that started out,

James Blackshaw started out in punk rock, but soon hit the harder stuff. Harder to get right, that is.

James Blackshaw, Fantomas: Le Faux Magistrat: new soundtrack 4 classic antihero, performed live by JB & fellow multi-instrumentalists, iron in the flow.

I just listened to Cloud of Unknowing again a few months ago and was wondering what happened to him. Really like that new track he shared.