First things first out of the way: yeah, this disc is somewhat an homage to all Americana pickers, particularly Fahey. That out of the way, we should focus on what these guys are doing and what they do that make them a rare band of folk picking goodness.

The first song that distinguishes this to my mind is “Floodgate Opens to Allow a Ship Come Through (As It Carries The Passenger Fahey On It). Yeah, I know. The name drop is inevitable as a cheap New Orleans hotel room full of mounds of cocaine and booze. But it’s different. It would be too easy to imitate, as some how, and I’m not dropping Chicago avant names here, the shorn beauty of Fahey. What Yair Yona do is something a little different, while employing the same general idiom, adding to the Americana Russian flairs, Egyptian influences and an abundance if humor along the way.

If you’re a fan of the picked gee-tar, then check this out—and not just that, but the slide as well. This disc is a lovely surprise, full of grace and elegance and virtuosity. 8/10 -- P. Somniferum (15 July, 2009)