When all you need is a 12 string guitar to induce the listener into a heady trance it is pretty obvious you have a certain talent. 2007’s ‘The Cloud of Unknowing’ was the pinnacle of James Blackshaw’s guitar based records; it was also the turning point, with each album since introducing additional instruments and a more inviting tone. These releases may be less challenging for the listener, yet the guitarist (and quite clearly pianist) is slowly creating a series of beautiful, self contained semi classical, folk based records that are streams of thought, growing and developing in front of your very ears. ‘All is Falling’ may be his most accessible yet. Most tracks (titled ‘Part 1’ through to ‘Part 8’) last around the four-minute mark; some almost a continuation of the previous track in their fast paced delivery, whilst others stand alone – holding a more reflective outlook. Take the medieval toned ‘Part 2’ – a spacious guitar picks at its own unhurried pace, a saddened set of strings follow gently behind; we have heard Blackshaw in similar places before, but seldom does he take his sweet time so delicately. ‘Part 3’ and ‘Part 4’ tread more familiar ground, the guitars charge with their entwined tapestry of melody and energy, the climactic moments in the former may be some of the musician’s finest to date. Along with the guitars and strings, the piano is again present – most notably in ‘Part 1’, though it is in the album’s lengthy highlight, ‘Part 7’, where it becomes an extension of Blackshaw’s guitar, being used to assist the complex tide of instruments. All of which are seemingly dependent on each other to create a wave of tension within the twelve minute epic. Blackshaw is clearly an individual unaffected by what other musicians might be up to. Solely concerned with getting his constant flow of ideas down on tape means we are getting an album a year, and, on the evidence here, long may it continue. GW