Black Eagle Child's Michael Jantz is rarely content with a solitary motif. The shades on his palette have been given new tints with each consecutive release. His work is challenging to pigeonhole yet incredibly consistent and indicative of a steadily developing sound, from his early limited-run releases to Lobelia to Pages on a Plane. Labelmates and colleagues make for a useful guide, though: Sean McCann's plentiful acoustics and Thoughts On Air's reverberant melodicism may have informed the character of Black Eagle Child at one point or another. Be it folk, drone, or found-sound, Jantz's approach has been keen on a particular ethos.
More closely related to the EP preceding it, Go Around, Again is perhaps honed better than any other material within the comprehensive discography to which it belongs. Focusing primarily on strident guitar looping, Black Eagle Child is nearly fated to receive comparisons to Emeralds member and rhythmic-riff-build extraordinaire Mark McGuire. Their boundaries cease to overlap, however, because Jantz applies plenty of makeshift quirks that render what could have been grandiose a warm, homespun affair not unlike its cover (which was designed by Phil and Myste French of the once-domninant now-defunct Stunned Records).
The 16-minute opener "Sun Cylinder" bears both a small-scale and ambitious air. Introducing itself with intertwining acoustic guitar and subtle touches of household items, the side-long offering begins an intimate and endearing ballad. With progression, the living room dimensions dilate and accrue flourishes of synth sequencing and burning electric solos. The expanse of earlier BEC work (such as the self-titled cassette on Housecraft) has an untenanted mystique to it, but an opus such as this exemplifies how refined the compositions have become.
Go Around, Again also houses a wealth of variety. "Running Around The Room" takes a playful spin on krautrock, diluting the genre's headiness and drawing attention to its winsome refrain and childlike arrangement of xylophone, handclaps, and effervescent keys. "Phrases Of The Moon" steadily tromps with distanced instrumentation, employing similar elements in a nebulous context. Various clutter crosses paths on "Eighteen And Six", escalating into a rousing cymbal cadence and rippling refrains. Where Black Eagle Child may be on following endeavors is a mystery, but the project is guaranteed to abound in creativity as it currently does.
[Black Eagle Child Website]
[Buy Go Around, Again from Under The Spire]
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