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Richard Youngs
Modern Sorrow
Black Truffle - Cat No: Black Truffle 101
- updated:2025-11-21
Piano samples and sampled voices, his own singing run through vibrato modulation into a robotic voice, synth bass and swelling organ, plus nothing more than simple electronic rhythms — the birth of a soulful masterpiece brimming with the minimalist lyricism only Richard Youngs could deliver. From Black Truffle.
Track List
A new work from Richard Youngs — legendary key figure of avant-garde underground folk, whose very presence seems to be reaching toward some almost divine realm — arrives once again on Black Truffle.
Side A's "Modern Sorrow" (sample1) unfolds slowly across an imaginary 17 minutes and 19 seconds at 79 BPM, its melody at times sounding almost Middle Eastern; Side B's "Benevolence I + II" (sample2), 19 minutes and 7 seconds at 77 BPM, is meditative like a quieter form of prayer, and utterly beautiful. The programmed rhythm on Side A's "Modern Sorrow" has a wry, understated quality that faintly recalls "Spoonin' Rap" — it really gets you. A masterpiece drifting and wandering through a divine realm, with a worldview that connects to Robert Wyatt. Highly recommended. (Original Japanese text by COMPUMA)