After their terrific performance in London the other month, featuring some interesting inter-band chemistry, my anticipation levels for the new Six Organs of Admittance album went way, um, inter the red.   In case you don’t remember, I harped on interminably about whether Ben Chasny was going to retrace his steps back to his Fahey-esque fingerpicking roots, or whether he would continue on down the confusingly-signposted route away, over the rocks and between the trees, particularly now that his fortunes had become somewhat interlinked with those of Magic Marker inker-in-chief Elisa Ambroglio.  Are they to become the Sonny and Cher, the Kurt and Courtney, the Richard and Karen (oh, hang on, that isn’t right, is it?  Bloody hell) for our hoodie-shooty-stabby generation?

While I’m still mid-puzzlement, Chasny sees his chance and leaves me standing, skipping straight down the side of the hill, using both well-picked folk and some surprisingly restrained noise for balance, and in doing so produces his best and most focussed album.  While the opening track “Alone With The Alone” appears to have walked off the end of The Sun Awakens – drone fixated, with Tim Green of the The Fucking Champs scraping guitar excess into the gaps between Chasny’s fingers, but the next two tracks are suffused with melody and harmony.  “The Strangled Road” features the first appearance by Elisa, on skull-kissing vocal duties, while “Jade Like Wine” is a demonstration of Chasny’s new-found ability to tune a guitar in something approaching a sensible fashion.  “Coming To Get You” is lashed to a distant howl, with the exceptions of a couple of moments when Elisa’s cap is popped off and she is freed to daub her blurry slogans over the walls.  After a suitably reverent Sun City Girls tribute comes the spiralling epic “Final Wing”, recorded under a flight path it seems, and then the title track, with Chasny stamping all over the pedals for the first and last time.

I’m looking at the pile of unwritten-about CDs piled up next to my electro-typo-connectivity device, and to be honest, they’ll have to wait.  I’ve been playing this for a month now, but I’m going to play it some more.  You may want to join me.  Shelter From The Ash is released on 12th November.

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