black eagle child - go around again (12inch vinyl lp)

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The latest opus from Black Eagle Child (aka Michael Jantz) comes in the form of "Go Around, Again" on the excellent Under the Spire label. This organic odyssey begins with the jangly sprawl that is "Liquid Acoustic Cylinder." Acoustic guitars are thoughtfully layered as the foundation to the track while all electric guitars spiral outward. There's a lot happening here, but it's put together so well that it never feels like too much. There's some magical and almost unexplainable about why this music is so memorable. Elsewhere, banjos are plucked from the sky with glockenspiel highlights as Jantz laments on "Phrases of the Moon." Skeletal rhythms appear and disappear, adding needed accents while his trademark guitar playing zips under the surface. And everything comes to a close with the upbeat and catchy looping melodies of "Eighteen and Six." In some ways, it reminds me a lot of Ponytail (one of my favorite bands) in that it just exudes positive thoughts and makes you want to get up and move. It's a great tune to close out another wonderful chapter in Black Eagle Child's ever-growing songbook. - Brad Rose, Experimedia

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Boasting a resume of twenty five releases as Black Eagle Child, Michael Jantz has established himself as a versatile artist capable of evolving with medium and melody. Go Around, Again further establishes Jantz as a formidable talent enabled by his creativity and the ability to transform intricate idea into blissful sound.

Born during the recording of Lobelia, Go Around, Again bears little resemblance to its epochal twin. Jantz explains the differences between the two by referencing the clever wordplay of the album title: "It's a conceptual title playing on the minimalist compositions, repeating patterns, etc."

Melodies plant themselves deep within Jantz's fertile terra forma; Go Around, Again transforming repetitious thought into catchy experimentation. Album opener "Sun Cylinder" walks with a cowboy strut, influenced by the mechanical timing of the celestial body that bares its name. Jantz chases away the prairie dogs and rustles up his prize cattle as he greets the rising sun with a cheek-to-cheek smile. "Running Around the Room" explores unbridled youth, floorboards creaking as a child sneaks to grab a handful of cookies to fuel a day's worth of hand claps, pot banging, and puffy-cheeked kazoo hums. Despite the childish exclamations that bookend "Phrases of the Moon," the contemplative composition embraces solitude from all distractions. Consisting of subdued banjo strums and somber bass drum, "Phrases of the Moon" not only riffs on the repetitive motif of Go Around, Again, it grounds the album's narrative as Jantz balances joy and introspection. Finale "Eighteen and Six" returns from the brink, bringing with it exuberant syncopation in the vein of Mark McGuire and Dustin Wong while recapturing the happy-go-lucky mood that pervades Go Around, Again.