Sir Richard Bishop

Acoustic resonance returns to our ears; the new Hexadic chords fitted to the wider neck of the acoustic, evoking dark spirits, greek choir, distance cousins, the desert and the sea.

Though Black Pudding marks the first time that singer Mark Lanegan and multi-instrumentalist Duke Garwood have recorded together, it isn't the first time they've collaborated. The latter toured with the Gutter Twins, Lanegan's project with Greg Dulli. Garwood's name isn't as well-known to the general public as the singer's, but his reputation among musicians certainly is. He's worked with everyone from the Orb to Wire, from Wooden Wand to Sir Richard Bishop, from Josh T. Pearson to Kurt Vile. For those familiar with Lanegan's 2000s solo work, the moody nature of the material here will come as little surprise; let's face it, his voice is coated in darkness. That said, all but two of these songs – the lovely guitar instrumentals by Garwood that bookend the album – are co-writes. They range from spooky blues numbers such as "Pentacostal" and "Death Rides a White Horse," where the guitar is the primary instrument, to fractured, skeletal, nocturnal funk numbers such as "Cold Molly."

The core of Comets on Fire are all present on Ascent, and together they help old bandmate Ben Chasny pummel some new tracks and reconfigure several from his vast back catalog.

Not since Michael Hedges shook the foundations of the acoustic guitar world 23 years ago with the release of Aerial Boundaries has a guitarist created such unique music as 25-year-old UK native James Blackshaw. On The Cloud of Unknowing, his sixth full-length album in less than four years, Blackshaw masterfully paints landscapes of sound with his 12-string guitar and a variety of alternate tunings. The CD begins with Blackshaw chiming rich harmonics from his paired strings, as if sounding a call to morning prayer, beautifully setting pace for the epic title track. In Blackshaw’s hands the guitar becomes otherworldly, and his music truly ascends to new places.

Rick Tomlinson aka Voice of the Seven Woods stumbled in to Manchester's vivid musical landscape as a vinyl hungry psyched-out sidekick to Andy Votel on his formative Twisted Nerve road show. The self-taught jack of all musical trades has since drawn influence from an oblique archive of obscure LPs and bizarre instruments and forged his own unique approach to making music, his very own hybrid blend of instrumental progressive folk. Enlisting the skills of drummer Chris Walmsley in a quest to create the authentic sound typified by the likes of Tery Cox in Pentangle with an added rhythmic influence of Turkish psychedelic bands first heard in the mid 70's, who has recorded with forward thinking groups like Broadcast, along with upright bass player Paul Blakesley - both of which are the perfect reactionary accompaniment to Rick's sporadic flirtations with time and tempo. – Amazon