Noah C. Lekas “Flowers of Perennial Dissent”
In the fall of 2023, Noah C. Lekas came close to losing his life. This experience eventually led him to question himself and the world around him, giving birth to a truly atypical album. Blending surrealist poetry with experimental music, Flowers of Perennial Dissent takes the listener on a journey into the depths of the human soul. Accompanied by musical heavyweights such as Luther Dickinson, Lekas creates an almost initiatory experience. His voice, sometimes soothing, sometimes deeply moving, becomes an instrument in its own right, taking center stage like a soloist soaring above a cosmic soundscape.
“If Only A Pilgrim At Your Lotus Feet (feat. Anthony Prog)” is meditative and trippy as the album opens. The poetry is spoken work, not sung, and musically it’s vibey notes and ambiance, so this is not a collection of “songs” as we know them. “Divine Frequency (feat Ethan Miller)” emphasizes specific plucked notes: and “the truth is only a vibration.” These are spiritual poems with a spiritual, immaterial vibe.
“A Revolution in Just Existing (feat. Charlie Parr) is musically a touch richer and more nearly approaches being a song. The message contains this depth: “why has devotion proved the most cruel? … For the seeds of peace the flowers of dissent must grow … the revolution I swear is just existing.” “In The Fields Of Our Fathers (feat. Luther Dickinson)” opens with meditative gong-like vibrations, sustained strings and rainfall: “a resurrection, undoing, all existence, unborn.”
A true sonic outlier, Flowers of Perennial Dissent might not be the easiest record to approach on first listen. It requires some patience and concentration, but once you settle into its world, it offers a fascinating and immersive experience. The record features an eclectic group of collaborators, including Luther Dickinson (North Mississippi Allstars, The Black Crowes), Charlie Parr, Anthony Pirog (The Messthetics), Ethan Miller and James Toth (Wooden Wand).
Their musical contributions provide the backdrop for Lekas’s reflections on consciousness, identity, spirituality and the experience of rebuilding oneself after a profound personal upheaval. Released by Blind Owl Records, Flowers of Perennial Dissent comes with a companion chapbook, allowing the six poems to be experienced both through music and on the page.
Find more information here: https://www.blindowlrecords.com/pages/noah-lekas