Weaving together recordings of flowing water with crystalline acoustic picking, swirling drones of electric guitar processed through an array of pedals along with chimes, orbaphone and kalimba, Invoking The Flood is a meditation on the cleansing and healing properties of water as well as the historical, sociological, cultural and symbolic significance of rivers.

Duncan Park’s work continues to explore and be informed by the apocalyptic ecological and socio-political preoccupations evidenced on previous releases such as After the Earth has Burned and The Peasants Revolt in ways that are subtle and surprising. Particularly noteworthy in this instance is the tension that recurs across the album between sounds that are soothing and unsettling functioning like a modal motif.

The album opens with an electric note that freezes into a sustained drone. The sound of rushing water enters and chimes establish a sense of ritual seeming to sound out in supplication invoking the flood referenced in the title as searching meditative electric guitar picking ascends like incense and prayers that address a divinity that is immanent and embodied, elemental and terrestrial.

The title of the opener reminds the listener of the historical and continuing social and symbolic significance of rivers to humanity. Rivers have birthed and cradled civilisations and are rightlfully considered sacred by various cultures and religions and are viewed as sites and sources of both natural and supernatural power and healing.

In the folklore of various African cultures rock pools are revered as sacred sites and The Alluring Pool manages to capture and convey this mystique. An entrancing multi-part piece built on a pacific pulsing drone that replicates the flowing of a river, The Alluring Pool, carries the listener on layers of shimmering electric and acoustic guitar guided by mellifluous vocals and the soothing sounds of singing bowls to a swirling whirlpool of reversed guitar that seems to suck the listener in as penny whistle rises above it like a diaphanous mist before fading away to be replaced by the sound of a running river that signals the start of the next track.

The river heard at the beginning of River Bank is the Kuruman River. In February of 2021 the Kuruman River, located in the kalahari desert of South Africa started flowing again for the first time in forty years following heavy rain. This lends the recording an added contextual layer of significance and the delicate harmonics that dance across the surface of the river evoke the joy and wonder experienced by those who flocked to the river bank to witness the event. The mood of the piece is uplifting and serene and the alternation in tempo and between picking and strumming conveys the rhythm of the river creating a fully realised sonic environment for the listener to lose themselves in.

Following this is the beautifully melancholic composition, The Winding Stream, that incorporates an orbaphone that sounds like water droplets falling from the roof of a cave on a metallic surface and exemplifies the way in which invoking the flood manages to sound simultaneously tranquil and unsettling. The repetitive guitar figures and dynamic swelling drones work together to convey the winding movement of a stream that carries the listener along to the final destination.

Musically, Over the River continues to explore and exploit the tension between the serene and the unsettling. The sense of calm being conveyed by the acoustic guitar and Kalimba while the electric introduces eerie washes of sound. Over the River also provides a key of sorts for approaching the rest of the album as it is the only song on the album that has lyrics. However, these are as cryptic as they are compelling.

Originally conceived during a period of rioting and looting that occurred in July of 2021, Over the River addresses a nameless fear that may speak to the collective anxiety experienced during this period of unrest but ultimately remains ambiguous.

The question “were you forgiven for saying that prayer” Raises the question of what exactly the title of the album refers to. Is the flood that is invoked a literal plea for the relief of rainfall in a land gripped by the devastation of drought? Is it a supplication for the biblical deluge referenced in the book of Genesis to return and purge the earth of the human species? Or is it a plea for justice or peace that may unexpectedly manifest in a flood of violence and destruction?

While the narrator may tell us that “water is clear” by the end of the piece the listener may wish to revisit the rest of the album as the lyrics suggest that what initially may have appeared to be soothing songs possess darker undercurrents and while we may have been listening we might not have truly heard.

As symbols The Flood and The River are enigmatic, ambivalent, and polysemous. They are capable of representing both creation and destruction and the tension in moods evident across the album suggests Park is playing on this ambiguity intentionally and to remarkable effect. In short, Park has managed to construct an album that can be variously or simultaneously interpreted as an ecological, spiritual or political allegory.

Instrumental music however, like all abstract art, unless otherwise explained by its author ultimately evades any attempt at a definitive interpretation. This music needs to be experienced on its own terms and each individual response will necessarily differ. All I can do is to invite you in to test the waters and urge you to immerse your spirit and intellect in these healing sounds and allow yourself to be borne away into the unknown by them.

- W. G. Randles