Piyakdu, Vissiones ov Naeku the’e Plowmanne, United States, Grime Stone Records, (no catalogue number) cassette / CD (2023)
Partly inspired by 14th-century English writer William Langland’s allegorical narrative poem “Piers Plowman”, this album by Baba Mithrandir’s Piyakdu ambient dungeon synth project takes us on a pilgrimage through the forests and Himalayan mountain landscapes that surround Mithrandir’s home city of Shimla, the capital of the northern Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. The eight instrumental tracks of peaceful and soothing synthesiser music and birdsong field recordings are very hypnotic in their slow droning tones, and the chirpy birds bring summer warmth and soft light to the languid music. There may not be much here that is edgy, and some of the music does have a syrupy, even sickly sentimental quality, but the melodies can be very breathtaking and majestic as they glide effortlessly out of the speakers and right through your head.
In keeping with the use of 14th-century Middle English theological allegory as the filter through which we traverse the landscapes and lore of Baba Mithrandr’s Bharari community in Shimla, track titles are given in Middle English, and four of the eight tracks are “Gesihþ Gerim” (“Dream Vision”) pieces numbered from one to four. Nostalgia and longing for warm summers of long ago, and the sights, sounds and times associated with these past periods are very strong. As the album continues into later tracks like “Goblin, or the Coveteousnesse ov Eye”, the music takes on a grittier, slightly darker tone as crumbly glitchy noise pops up around the edges of the droning synths and other background sound and atmospheric effects bring shrill, almost hysterical screech into the music. “Gesihþ Gerim Feower” (“Dream Vision Four”) is a deeply introspective piece that will hold you spellbound with its hushed tones, lonely atmosphere and, later in the track, an ambivalent and even slightly sinister quality in the slithery noise undertone.
Although there are few surprises in this slow and mostly peaceful droning landscape, the grit and glitch on later tracks help keep the music sharp and fresh and concentrate the mind well on the music’s spiritual path while the rest of the melodies and drones end up overbearing in their blaring booms. The synth dronescapes might not suit everyone but for times when late summer turns out to be dreary, the afternoon shadows are already starting early, and whispers of cold winter start to swirl about as well, this music may well be a tonic to cheer you up as you start layering up those warm clothes and reach out for a steaming cup of hot noodle soup.