Rykarda Parasol at Stary Klasztor: an American voice and “The Color of Destruction”

On 9 November in the Gothic Hall at Stary Klasztor, American singer of Polish descent Rykarda Parasol will present her latest album, “The Color of Destruction”, to Wrocław audiences.

As usual, it is entirely her own work: as an accomplished singer-songwriter, Rykarda writes the lyrics and music and produces all her albums herself.

The Color of Destruction appears as an antithesis to 2013’s Against the Sun, which focused on individual autonomy, introverted impulses and the celebration of independence. That individuality was reflected in the album’s raw music, stripped of unnecessary ornament and limited to basic instrumentation recorded entirely by Rykarda. Unlike its modest predecessor, the new album throws its doors wide open to sounds and words previously bubbling beneath the surface, to what is hidden and instinctive. Here is Federico Garcia Lorca’s duende in its purest form.

In instrumentation and arrangement, this is the most elaborate work of Rykarda Parasol’s career. Alongside standard instruments, bass, acoustic guitar, drums and piano, we hear a rich mosaic of cello, violin, trumpet and flute. Two American West Coast singers also guest: Dante Aliano White, responsible for the Your Arrondisement or Mine remix among other work, and Bart Davenport. Lyrically, this is the most mature collection from an author sometimes compared to L. Ferlinghetti, W. Faulkner and Christina Rossetti.

All this allows a previously hidden side of the artist to emerge. On her new album, she explores and crosses boundaries until they cease to apply. Following a wave as it breaks against the shore, she gives herself entirely to the rhythm. Love, both beautiful and turbulent, becomes a metaphor for losing control and being willing to take less-travelled, not entirely safe paths, without looking back or worrying about her fate.

Delving into The Color of Destruction, we experience changing seasons and journeys through wintry landscapes lit by bonfires. We feel anticipation and approaching change, the sense of loss and what remains afterwards: winter's cold and flames bursting skywards from the abyss of Walpurgis Night and the depths of the heart.

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