Six Organs of Admittance

Since Ben Chasny, the man behind Six Organs of Admittance, rode out of obscurity and into the annals of esteem on the crest of the psych-folk wave, he’s only continued to expand his creative scope by playing with the likes of Current 93, burning electric frets as a full-fledged member of Comets on Fire, forming a new folk duo called August Born, and joining the underground super-group Badger Lore. Now even his solo project is getting the expansion treatment as Chasny loads up his previously acoustic-focused work with ringing electric guitars. Compared to his previous effort for Drag City, School of the Flower, The Sun Awakens is a far more fleshed out and meticulous affair that sounds less off-the-cuff and more focused in its intent. The album is distinctly divided into two LP halves. The first features compositions of average length like the outstanding dark and cathartic "Black Wall,” an Ennio Morricone-ish ditty called "The Desert is a Circle,” and is book-ended by a few brief ditties ("Torn by Wolves” and "Wolves’ Pup”). The second half of The Sun Awakens is filled with the 23-minute guitar drone-scape centrepiece "River of Transfiguration” (which features bass playing by Al Cisneros from Om), which is worth the sticker price alone. Another classic from the dependable Chasny, The Sun Awakens is mystic revelation at its finest.