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The number of Double Leopards side projects has gotten pretty overwhelming, and guitarist Marcia Bassett has her hands in a large number of them. I've tried hard to avoid the whole lot, but then Gematria came - releasing a double cassette with a solo release on each side. Figured the most interesting music from these four might not necessarily be in their sporadic group recordings and captured live shows. GHQ might be proof of just that, because it's goddam beautiful. GHQ is the trio of Bassett, Pete Nolan (Magik Markers, Spectre Folk, etc.), and Steve Gunn (don't know Steve at all), and their mode of exploration is the multiple acoustic guitar drone, taking the standard cues from Indian ragas and Appalachain folk. Their first "official" release, Cosmology of Eye, shows both sides, in fact, the A-side focuses more on the South Asian sunburst, and the flip emphasizes American folk guitar exploration, though elements of both can be found throughout the album. "Drink the Good Moon" opens the A-side of the album with a meditation on tone fluctations, as the guitarist creates a steady tremble, alternating between chords atop muted, percussive, low-end string thumping. The title track follows, blissing out even further into an airy seance that splits apart the clouds and opens a vessel for the spirits to visit. While that track floats above you, the following track, "Drift-Void," pulls you down into the mud, slucking it up with a hard strum of the six string underneath low-pitch, shimmering tone, Bassett's singing contrasts wonderfully. The epic "Lie, Live, Make It" opens up the 2nd side with some great Takoma-style acoustic strum, filling all the song's 13+ minutes. It's rare a single guitar line is able to hold your interest for a song that long, but this guitarist is so full of energy and the guitarline evolves so much over the timespan that it's impossible to turn away. A second guitarist drizzles electric goo overtop, blending well with the acoustic, adding more abstract shapes to the constant linear strum. The final song, "Black River Apples," also has a steady strum, but its riff is more static, allowing male wordless vocals and trembly feedback to dominate the song and create an eerie backwoods tone. If you've been following Double Leopards, Magik Markers, or artists more closely linked to Fahey like Jack Rose, Six Organs, Glenn Jones, etc., etc., definitely check out GHQ.

GHQ at Amazon & Insound