SIR RICHARD BISHOP 'POLYTHEISTIC FRAGMENTS'

01 Cross My Palm With Silver
02 Hecate's Dream
03 Elysium Number Five
04 Rub' Al Khali
05 Free Masonic Guitar
06 Cemetery Games
07 Quiescent Return
08 Saraswati
09 Tennessee Porch Swing
10 Canned Goods & Firearms
11 Ecstasies in the Open Air

"It goes without saying that POLYTHEISTIC FRAGMENTS is an instrumental release — who among us would want it otherwise? In the tradition of his classic debut, SALVADOR KALI, this new record features equal amounts of improvisation and composition. Sir Richard’s powers lie in his ability to captivate with just the sound of his guitar, but he doesn’t completely abandon studio processes, which allow POLYTHEISTIC FRAGMENTS to communicate a greater wholeness: all Sir Rick, all the time, if you will.As a member of Sun City Girls and co-founder of the Sublime Frequencies label, Sir Richard Bishop is a comfortable traveller in the vast landscape of ethno-musical tradition. We have come to expect a few solo acoustic guitar pieces with the gypsy stylings of his hero, Django Reinhardt — and as if to tenderize our consciousness and prepare it for the ride, “Cross My Palm with Silver” meets and exceeds our expectations. “Rub ‘Al Khali” is an ode to the Oud, a northern African lute of sorts. On “Free Masonic Guitar,” Sir Richard manifests free form acoustic playing wholly in his own style. Peppering the mix are the sounds of electric guitar and lap steel guitar, bringing contrast and colour. “Hecate’s Dream” is a dreamy praise to a dark Greek Goddess, but “Tennessee Porch Swing” and “Canned Goods and Firearms” switch gears to good old down home Americana and country twang."

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