It’s difficult to pigeon hole, categorise and genre this album from the Polish electronic soundscape genius.
The concept of the album itself is highly creative and emotionally moving with the use of synths and samples taken from the 1947 recordings by Dr Harry Oster at Parchman Farm (The Mississippi State Penitentiary) of prison songs.
These samples/recordings have been beautifully and lovingly brought to life giving the album a modern day twist on the early Delta Blues sound with intelligent beats and appropriately subtle synths.
From pressing play you can feel the atmosphere change, intense, haunting, sucks you in, you are subconsciously transported to Parchman Farm.
“Don’t Want Sugar in My Coffee” does that to you, those first 15 seconds, cell doors being slammed, batons scraping along penitentiary corridor walls, lights flickering before the final lights out. The eerie silence before the chanting begins.
“No More My Lord” has that feeling of tension and paranoia, as you hit the Sunlight in the exercise yard, relieved for fresh air and the chance to exercise but always aware of the unpredictability of a violent incident.
“It Takes a Long Time” is almost on that 4/4 beat, bright illuminating synths and samples that lend themselves as beats keeping time also. Imagination working overtime working out what those ever so intriguing samples could be, the sharpening of a homemade prison shank to be concealed in the sock for those unpredictable yard exercise sessions.
The album suits best listened as a complete piece of work, but the standout track for me is “Rollin, Rollin” which also works as a standalone single.
Link:
https://synthotherapy.bandcamp.com/album/no-more-my-lord
Michael Conboy
MEANS 