This might be my first official exposure to Sir Richard Bishop, but I was definitely aware of his reputation for being somewhat of an underground guitar legend. I'm glad to report that "Polytheistic Fragments" more than lives up to any hype that might exist. What first impressed me about the disc was the shear amount of variety that Bishop has conjured. Somehow eastern tinged guitar ragas easily coexist with playful country twang-fests and meditative piano journeys. I'm not sure how all of these different influences play together so well, but they do. And it's not in a cheesy sort of "musical trip around the world " way either. I feel that Bishop deeply cares about each of the styles he's investigating, and that the tracks presented on the record represent a deep learning and understanding of musical cultures. Best of all, it's a fun album to listen to, which is of great importance when dealing with a virtuoso of Bishop's abilities. The songs have a fresh, playful feel to them, which keep them from feeling overly academic or showy. Tracks like "Cemetery Games" and "Canned Goods and Firearms" represent the unashamed, smiling side of Bishop's playing, feeling like toddler romps through surreal cartoon worlds. In contrast, the slow, meditative journey of "Saraswati" lulls me into a trance with slow moving piano notes dropping over sitar swells. With plenty of middle ground thrown in too, it all works together to create an album that is captivating, fun, slightly weird, tender, and maybe a little awe inspiring. 9/10 -- Charles Franklin (10 October, 2007)