
JOZEF VAN WISSEM & JIM JARMUSCH
American Landscapes (Incunabulum)
Jim Jarmusch, film director of slow-burning celluloid cinema cult coolness from Down By Law to Dead Man and Stranger Than Paradise, bumped into avant-garde lutist Jozef Van Wissem on the streets of Manhattan during the late 00s. Both artists had a mutual respect for each other’s work and a friendship soon developed, Jarmusch enlisting Van Wissem to score Only Lovers Left Alive – the lute proving to be at the heart of that vampire drama. Jarmusch, for his part, has a musical grounding in New York’s early 80s no-wave scene; this album continues his legacy of collaborative albums with Van Wissem, the cineaste’s guitar thriving within dense forests of lute and electronics.
American Landscapes has three tracks that relate to social unrest in America. The first two, Cleveland and Akron, aurally depict tense turmoil, whilst the closing title track offers some respite. The album overall is a captivating listening experience which should appeal to those that enjoy the emotive soundtrack creations of Tim Hecker, Soulsavers or Brian Eno.
words DAVID NOBAKHT
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