Hexadic II

Sounding forth from a resonating body, the music of Six Organs of Admittance seems to reach us from an ancient remove. Ben Chasny's 6OOA vehicle is a wide-ranging craft, spanning over a dozen albums whose gaze is always shifting, but whose focus never wavers, descending through a labyrinth of contrasting lexicons (both linguistic and musical) in an attempt to resolve existential codes while engaging the listener and the musician in shared pursuit. With Hexadic II, Ben Chasny's unique touch on acoustic guitar is brought back to our ears after what feels like a kind of forever. What may signify to some ears as folk music is caught in an equally compelling undertow of powerful subterranean energy. Ghostly vocals of divergent timbres sing over the fluid interplay of guitars, harmonium, violin-and pure space, as the reverberant room around the sounds plays as much a part in the experience as the music. Hexadic II is ultimately what the listener hears it to be-a darkly spiritual listen, filtered through their ears, perceptions, and choices. It may be primarily about time: how perspectives change and choices vary over time, as if a separate yet parallel existence, with shared meaning, is being undertaken. As ever, Chasny has a head-full of ideas that are driving him; Hexadic II simultaneously explores the same charts and paths that gave birth to it's predecessor, while creating music of a totally different order. The Hexadic II songs have direct correlates to the Hexadic songs, yet are much more than mere acoustic versions. Think of them as distant cousins to the songs on Hexadic, obsessed with Greek choir, the desert, and the sea. Simultaneously more inviting and challenging than Hexadic, Hexadic II is a powerful musical journey into the enigma of interpretation and inspiration-at once a technical work and a deeply personal emission from a seasoned musical traveler.