With
Compathia,
Ben Chasny takes
Six Organs of Admittance further in the direction of "songs" in the traditional sense (as opposed to extended, largely instrumental, raga-like jams). Assuredly, these aren't pop songs, but they are, most definitely, songs. With
Dark Noontide,
Six Organs' previous effort,
Chasny's folky eastern melodies were balanced by his chant-like moan. But with
Compathia, he sings on every track save one, the brief title track (which functions as a beautiful instrumental breather mid-album). His voice is also noticeably pushed forward in the mix, and the songs themselves are less cluttered by percussion and other instruments, further emphasizing
Chasny's singing and lyrics. As a result,
Compathia almost recasts
Six Organs of Admittance as a recording outfit: more of a psychedelic singer/songwriter outing now than a (largely) instrumental drone-raga folk concern.
John Fahey,
Robbie Basho, and
Sandy Bull still come to mind when it comes to
Chasny's playing, but he has simplified his style -- in a good way -- accomplishing more with less. A dark, orphic guitar figure rings though each track as
Chasny tells us (for example) to "run from nightmares" (from "Run!") in a voice that sounds like it knows what it's talking about. With
Compathia,
Six Organs could be thought of as
Devendra Banhart's sober, less whimsical companion.