Inspired by Viva Last Blues, mastered by Kramer . . . yes, it's pretty clear what Francisco Silva (aka Old Jerusalem, the June Carriers, etc.) is going for here. His earlier work is tighter, though I'm not sure that it's actually more cohesive. Silva sets his scenes with a nest of guitar lines and then weaves in between. Every bit here is distinctly of a piece.

The June Carriers Equanimity (Youngbloods)

This semi-abstract approach only works if the song structures are rigorously constructed and the guitars played in their appropriate ways. The lead parts generally have a different tone than the more drone-like constructive parts. The elegiac feel to the leads is highly reminiscent of Palace.

But rather than fading away, many of these pieces end abruptly. That approach gives this melancholy album a propulsive feel that comes from outside the music itself. There is a journey involved in listening. Silva notes that these pieces are also inspired by 10th Century Zen riddles. The goal isn't to solve them, but rather to ponder. These songs do just that.

There are many ways to make an instrumental guitar album. Silva has done so (under many names) in the past. This set is not his liveliest, but it may be his deepest. Follow the lines and pull the threads. There's no telling what might be exposed in your own mind. Entrancing.

Jon Worley