RICHARD PINHAS "Metatron" Cuneiform INSECT FACTORY "Air Traffic Control Sleep" "Ghosts Above a Warm Pond" Insect Fields

RICHARD PINHAS"Metatron"CuneiformINSECT FACTORY"Air Traffic Control Sleep""Ghosts Above a Warm Pond"Insect Fields

FRENCH GUITARIST RICHARD Pinhas holds a PhD in philosophy, but he doesn't lecture on his new double-CD set, "Metatron." In fact, there are no words on the album, save for such found chatter as the voices of several writers, including Philip K. Dick and the unmistakable William S. Burroughs. Pinhas specializes in drones and ripples, with results that sometimes resemble early Philip Glass. Yet the guitarist often hitches his cyclical melodies to a forward-moving beat.

Pinhas has been working the same territory for years, recording for Silver Spring's Cuneiform label with a team of longtime collaborators, notably violinist Philippe Simon, laptops-and-loops master Jerome Schmidt and former Magma drummer Antoine Paganotti. (One sign of continuity is that a piece titled "Metatron (an Introduction to)" appeared on Pinhas's 2004 album, "Tranzition.") Paganotti and bassist Didier Batard construct a jazz-rock foundation for "Tikkun," which is divided into three parts that stretch across both discs. While such tracks provide needed variety on an album that runs more than two hours, the most successful compositions are the ones that mainly spin and sway. Particularly insinuating is "Shaddai Blues," whose fusion of propulsion and locomotion suggests D.C. electro-chug duo Chessie.

Local guitarist Jeff Barsky, who performs under the name Insect Factory, constructs soundscapes that evoke slumber and dreams. That may sound trite, but Barsky's music is quite lovely, especially at its most evanescent.

The guitar strategies are similar on two recent Insect Factory releases, "Air Traffic Control Sleep" and "Ghosts Above a Warm Pond." The difference is that the latter adds keyboards and drums, which ultimately seem to limit rather than expand the possibilities. Much of "Ghosts Above a Warm Pond," which was recorded live with guest musicians Scott Verrastro and Greg Svitl, is entrancing. As it gets more raucous, however, the spell is partially broken. That never happens to "Air Traffic Control Sleep," which remains delicate and deliberate. Whether they conjure air or water, unconsciousness or awareness, these three slo-mo tracks are vividly evocative.

-- Mark Jenkins

Appearing Thursday at Velvet Lounge.

Listen to an audio clip of Richard Pinhas.

Listen to an audio clip of Insect Factory.