John Eyles at All About Jazz has written a nice review of James O' Sullivan's debut for Forwind. Read it here...

I'm not on this record, which makes it easier to write about. I do play with James in a couple of groups, and have seen him play in various line-ups and most rewardingly, solo. And I can say in all honesty that he's one of the most remarkable guitarists I've ever played with or seen anywhere come to think of it.

Here he's on his own, with his Telecaster, trusty but knackered Yamaha amp and an array of metal objects, drumsticks and various unidentified bits and pieces. And that's it. No loopers, phasers, flangers, pitchshifters or fuzzboxes. (He does use a volume pedal, but that doesn't really count). I should add that James can also play a bit like Chet Atkins, but he hasn't done that here.

What he has done is craft a series of improvised guitar pieces that range from the starkly beautiful to the scabrously filthy. And it's up there with pretty much any improvised guitar music I can think of. Not only is O'Sullivan's vocabulary of textures pretty huge, he uses them with an attention to structure and development that is pretty rigorous, Which makes it a rewarding listen, even though you most likely wouldn't want to listen to it first thing in the morning.

If I was reviewing this album for a clever musical publication I'd probably end up describing the title track as sounding like the sound of an electricity substation being slowly demolished by robots in a rainstorm. Which isn't very helpful, I suppose. Even if it is quite accurate.

Did you get that I like it? Seriously, if you're into exploratory guitar music, this one's for you. Honest.

Brand new tracks from James O'Sullivan and Elvers are now available to have a musical mull over on our soundcloud page. These are taken from James and Elvers forthcoming albums on forwind. The finer details can be found on our releases page if you can't help becoming curiouser and curiouser! Enjoy!

Stem is the set opener from James O'Sullivan's first album of solo guitar pieces 'feed back couple', soon to be released on the Forwind label. Hit the link and get listening!

Excellent footage of a recent show at London's Cafe Oto of guitarist James O' Sullivan.

'feed back couple', James's first solo release is due out on Forwind early 2011.