Top Bar
Musique Machine Logo Home ButtonReviews ButtonArticles ButtonBand Specials ButtonAbout Us Button
SearchGo Down
Search for  
With search mode in section(s)
And sort the results by
show articles written by  
 Review archive:  # a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z

Jozef Van Wissem - The Joy That Never Ends [Important Records - 2011]

“The Joy That Never Ends” is the third album to appear on Important Records by Dutch lutenist Jozef Van Wissem. And like his other releases it once again finds him setting his lute playing in a modern, emotional, atmospheric sonic place.

The past two Important albums(It Is All That Is Made & Ex Patris  saw both from 09) saw Van Wissem purely creating his song craft from just many layers of lute, but this new album sees him joined by two guest in the form of Jeanne Madic (of experimental folk meets abstract classic project Vanishing Twins). And cult film maker Jim Jarmusch whose directed the likes of Dead Man, Broken Flowers , and Down By Law- Madic adds her sultry French spoken word vocals to two tracks, and Jarmusch adds subtle rudimentary but effective electric guitar textures to one track. These two sonic addition work well with-in the frame work of Van Wissem song craft, and they add a melancholic and lo-fi emotional edge to proceedings.

Otherwise the albums tracks follow a similar path to Van Wissem  past work- layers of plucked, picked and strummed lute that’s he imbeds with a harmonic and atmospheric heart. Each track here is hypnotic and intricate yet minimal and repetitive, and as an whole the album really sucks you into an exquisite and gold sound world that has more than  little of a melancholic and timeless feel about it.

There are few artists who can take such an ancient and distinctive sounding instrument as the Lute, and make it sound relevant, emotional & atmospheric- but that exactly what Van Wissem mangers here. So if you enjoy instrumental stringed music that’s entrancing, melodic rich, detailed and atmospheric then you’ll very much enjoy this.

Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5Rating: 4 out of 5

Roger Batty
Latest Reviews

Jozef Van Wissem - The Joy That N...
“The Joy That Never Ends” is the third album to appear on Important Records by Dutch lutenist Jozef Van Wissem. And like his other releases it once again&nbs...
290324   Stuart Argabright & AfterAfte...
290324   Piranha - Piranha(DVD)
280324   Typhoon Club - Typhoon Club(B...
270324   Jerzy Skolimowski Collection ...
260324   Latex Choker - Sealed
260324   Occlusion - 59: No Input Wall
260324   Nihil Impvlse - Anabasis
260324   Marta Forsberg - Sjunger För...
260324   The New Boy - The New Boy( Th...
250324   The Stargazer’s Assistant - ...
Latest Articles

The Music of Clay Ruby & Burial H...
Over the last couple of decades Wisconsin native, Clay Ruby has been creating some of the world’s finest dark electronic music under the Burial Hex mon...
280324   The Music of Clay Ruby & Buri...
290224   Sutcliffe No More - Normal Ev...
100124   Occlusion - The Operation Is...
181223   Best Of 2023 - Music, Sound &...
051223   Powerhouse Films - Of Magic, ...
181023   IO - Of Sound, Of Art, Of Exp...
210923   Lucky Cerruti - Of Not so Fri...
290823   The Residents - The Trouble W...
110723   Yotzeret Sheydim Interview - ...
250523   TenHornedBeast - Into The Dee...
Go Up
(c) Musique Machine 2001 -2023. Twenty two years of true independence!! Mail Us at questions=at=musiquemachine=dot=comBottom