Polytheistic Fragments

Musicologist/experimental musician Richard Bishop has been challenging listeners since his days fronting (alongside his brother Alan) prog-punk-ethno pranksters the Sun City Girls. On his sixth solo album, and first for Drag City, Bishop continues his exploration of solo guitar-based compositions and improvisational soundscapes in the vein of mentor-to-many John Fahey. As a world music aficionado, however, Bishop takes things an intriguing step further and infuses his work with all manner of global folk sounds, including raga drones, Eastern modalities, hot jazz, and good old-fashioned Appalachian melody.