Eight Trails, One Path

Three Lobed Records released this limited compilation on Record Store Day 2012. Mostly acoustic tracks, these exclusive songs feature some neo-folk guitar heavyweights such as Steve Gunn, Sir Richard Bishop, and his brother Al “Alvarius B.” Bishop. Local drone workhorse Danny Paul Grody also does a lovely acoustic lullaby. The acoustic tracks are wonderful displays of virtuosity, in the same school of Americana that includes Jack Rose, Sandy Bull, John Fahey. Oh, and then Lee Ranaldo pulls out an electric guitar for a boring, mopey shoegaze track. Excellent stuff overall. RIYL good music, sunsets, DADGAD tuning

1. (7:31) Al B. of Sun City Girls fumbles with his guitar for 40secs, then plods along on a deep, rootsy blues twang with some raga harmonies.
2. (2:37) William Tyler contributes a brief, hazy ambient track. Natural guitar harmonics and organ drone.
3. (5:33) DPG lays down a simple yet gorgeous modal melody, but he layers additional guitar tracks over it, things get complex and sunshiney
4. (6:53) Six Organs Of Admittance brings us a plaintive, melancholy piece that recalls baroque classical and rustic Appalachia
5. (6:53) Steve Gunn absolutely shreds on this fantastic tune, bright and bombastic raga licks jumbled in a swirl of open-tuning harmony
6. (6:31) Lee Ranaldo turns up the reverb on his electric guitar, croons some distant whispered melodies, sounds like Evan Caminiti if he got really sad and joined Vestals.
7. (4:40) Dave Daniell continues in the vein of Steve Gunn with some lush 12-stringe raga arrangements, very dark and occasionally dissonant harmonies
8. (4:13) Sir Richard Bishop puts the cherry on top with a heartwarming, endearing folk fingerpicking tune, almost all major-key and Western modalities, yet still strange and serene