The globetrotting Bishop weaves in and out of musical styles to create an ethnomusicological world tour of sorts. He takes listeners on a journey through the gypsy folk territory of his musical godfather, Django Reinhardt (“Cross My Palms with Silver”), to the deserts of North Africa and the Middle East (“Rub ‘Al Khali”), to the spiritual — and extremely romanticized — rivers of India (“Saraswati”), and beyond.
And though Bishop has no short supply of ideas and abilities, the record fails to reward or really entertain. Many of the songs come off as the truncated utterances of a wandering and rambling mind. The album really suffers from Bishop’s compositional approach, which is to go into the studio with basic skeletal ideas and let the songs develop naturally and independently of the artist.
Ultimately, these improvisations lack the daring and honest experimentation of other solo guitarists like Loren MazzaCane Connors, Marc Ribot, or Derek Bailey. The best moments on Polytheistic Fragments are consequently the least experimental. “Elysium Number Five” and “Free Masonic Guitar” are catchy, rhythm-driven stompers that have their roots in American folk and southern jazz traditions, whereas “Quiescent Return” and “Ecstasies in the Open Air” are idyllic tableaux of lilting balladry.
– Tony Correale
Sir Richard Bishop: www.sirrichardbishop.net
Drag City: www.dragcity.com